Halfwing
by Fidchell
Summary: Phoenix and several followers have lived through the Pyramid incident and plan to commit an act of genocide of all bats around the world to not interrupt the darker rituals they were about to practice. A continuation of Firewing: The Aftermath.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: consequences

The destroyed remains of the once mighty Vampyrum Pyramid lay in ruins. Its great structural splendor was now completely destroyed by a single earthquake caused by the events of Ground Zero. Nothing remained – no one remained – no one except for several Vampyrum – this amount even had potential. Their army would grow once more. They had another chance.

The fallen warriors that fought in the pyramid were buried underneath the rubble, long forgotten under their stony graves. The corpses of owls, wolves, and Vampyrum alike lied deep in the rubble, becoming nothing more than lost machines of war – no longer useful, but meaningless.

Apparently, some managed to escape the collapsed pyramid safely, but the one lost warrior whose name was spread most of all was none other than the legendary Shade Silverwing – once a rebelling newborn, now a true-hearted warrior of Nocturna who died for peace. His name would never be forgotten in the history of bat-kind, no matter how old the days get.

The peace treaty signed by the owls eventually became signed by the wolves in turn for the owls assisting the wolves in a final bloodbath against the ruthless Vampyrum before the Ritual of Zotz began. Bats all over the world heard the great news, and a period of peace reigned over their world. Nocturna has been resurrected from her frozen slumber, and Zotz has been banished into the depths of the hellish Ground Zero – order and peace was restored under Her uprising, and all bats, Vampyrum or Silverwings alike, would enter Her realm and live eternally with joy and happiness. Shade desired nothing more than to be with his family, and so, every time his mate and son sleep, he enters their dreams, raising their spirits and sustaining them with everlasting happiness. Shade found happiness he could not comprehend in being with his family in a most peculiar way, and he wished he could never stop. This was so constant and continuous, that Marina and Griffin's sadness of his death eventually faded away, and was replaced with joy following every new upcoming day.

But now, soon, the world would once again be in potential danger, as these few Vampyrum start a new cult, and begin to practice the darkest of rituals in order to destroy the boundaries of life and death – Zotz's only wish. Before they could do this, however, they would need all the assistance they could get to practice an act even worse – the genocide of bat colonies around the world. This time they would eliminate all opposition – there would be no one to interfere their ritual, and finally they would get what they wanted. The world was about to be plunged into another dark war, but is there anyone to stop them from this horrible genocide?

Nethanel, the son of rat king Cortez, crawled out under a pile of stone just beside the ruins of the pyramid. His body was severely injured – he ached everywhere, and he was sure that at least three of his bones were fractured. He never felt such aching pain before. He found his spear caught in the grassy earth just beside him. He tried to reach out for it, but to no avail – he was too tired and too weak to move another inch. He barely escaped the pyramid before it crumbled down into this mass of stone and debris, and just barely escaped the clutches of the evil creature he had managed to kill before rushing out of the trembling pyramid with his life. The ugly gash on his chest was still fresh and painful, and he had no idea how disgusting it looked as of now – he did not even want to look. Was there no one around to help him? He could die here, weak as he is. He would try calling for help, but even his throat was weak and too dry. He needed food or drink, and he felt the power of hunger gnawing inside his body like a tiny creature eating away at his internal organs.

Nethanel attempted to lift himself up several times, but only fell flat on his face every time, causing himself more pain. He thought he could hear voices from above, but he could not even lift his chin up to see. The voices were also too distant for him to hear. His vision was blurry, and his eyes ached as if he had not slept in a week. He was exhausted, but he was so weak, he could not even fall asleep in a heap. He had no other hope anymore for his life and he lied there, waiting for death to finally claim him. The pain was unbearable, and he only wanted it to stop. Before he closed his eyes to rest, he started to hear "pat pat" noises on the ground nearby and he heard the rustling of grass growing louder and louder. If it was a predator, he wanted it to eat him, as long as it did it quick.

"That's horrible." He heard a voice very close to him say. He opened his eyes and noticed a shadow overlapping his head, blocking off the sun's rays. He tried to lift his head, but he apparently could not due to the pain in his neck. Nethanel then tried to say something, but he could not speak. He started to twitch his body to show that he was indeed alive, event though he hated to admit it.

"Captain, he's alive!" He heard the voice of another stranger say.

"Thank goodness, get him to the raft, pronto. This poor kid's in worse condition than his father." A hoarse voice called out from the distance. They were rats – he could suddenly tell by their voices. He saw the feet of one of the rats pass by his head and then he felt two pairs of paws slipping under his belly and lifting him up. His body was flipped over and carried by the two rats' powerful arms, and he felt himself moving. Nethanel caught view of one rat's face and he was not familiar with it at all.

"Rookie." He thought to himself. Even thinking made his head hurt. He had to relax – he was going to be recovered. Soon he heard the sound of the calm, rippling seas and breakers splashing up on shore, but judging by the smell, it was a river. He felt himself being placed down onto something soft and comfortable. He remained on his back, staring up into the blue sky, speckled by the canopy of huge leafs towering over him. He hated the jungle. He moved his hands around slowly and felt the soft texture of moss.

Suddenly, he felt a lurch in his stomach, and he felt nauseous. He put his paws over his mouth instantly, his cheeks swelling. The rats noticed this and immediately lifted Nethanel's head over the water just beside the raft. Nethanel vomited about four times before finally stopping. The rats laid his head gently on the moss once again and Nethanel felt horrible and embarrassed. He was in worse condition than he thought.

Every second he heard the non-stop pitter-patter of the rats' feet against the wooden raft as they did their busy work. One of the rats came up to him with a stone bowl full of pure water. He bent over and tenderly put the edge of the bowl against Nethanel's lips and he drank gratefully. Once he finished the rat immediately got up and went out of his sight. He felt somewhat refreshed and his throat was no longer parched. He started to even talk.

"Am I-" His words caused a few rats to crowd over him anxiously.

"Give him room, sailors!" A gruff voice called out. The rats scuttled back a few inches and a burly rat with various nonsensical tattoos strewn across his slim body walked up to the scene. He bent his head over Nethanel and perked up an ear. "What was that, prince?"

"Am I…okay?" Nethanel said, his throat trembling with each word.

"I'm afraid not, prince. You have bruises all over your body as well as a huge gash across yer chest. Not a pretty sight, I can guarantee you. We will get you back to the rat kingdom to get patched up by our best medical doctors, don't you worry!" Nethanel squinted his eyes in disbelief and the burly rat stood still for a moment. "All right fine, if you wanna know, your left leg is near broken as well." Nethanel groaned unhappily. "But like I said, we'll patch you up and you'll be just fine! Men, get to rowing immediately!" The rats asked no questions and walked around the large raft to retrieve their paddles. They started to row, and the raft smoothly glided along the stream.

Nethanel felt horrible to be under such conditions. He found his harpoon weapon set just beside his moss bed and he reached his arm out weakly to grab it. He softly glided his fingers across the rough handle of the spear as he stared up into the jungle canopy. He was absolutely not used to being in such weak conditions. He wanted to move around, and he wanted to be active instead of sitting around without an iota of energy in his muscles. He was trained to be that way. He closed his eyes.

"Son, you are a pathetic wretch of this world. You are a useless, jagged, misshaped backbone that any insect would reject into a pile of useless fecal matter!" A young general Cortez shouted at his son as he swung a small spear with great difficulty at an armored rat guard. He thrust his spear so slowly that the guard did not even have to dodge until after one second. The child rat breathed heavily and wiped his brow, his spear dropping from his hands. Cortez stamped his foot in a rage. "You no good rotten mass of boneless, drooping muscle!" Cortez marched over to his son in a huff and lifted the spear with great ease. "If you want to get a stab at your opponent, don't be a snail! Put all your energy into one blow! Focus, Nethanel, focus! Observe!" General Cortez swung the spear at the guard's head in a split second, knocking him down heavily. The guard groaned in pain as he slowly stood up. "You've got to focus on your energy, Nethanel. Focus, that's the key word! Remember it at all times!" Nethanel lifted his head, beaming against his pride for having such a strong father. Cortez dropped the spear and it landed on his son's paws with great gravitational force, sending him falling on the floor flat on his stomach. Nethanel got right back up, pretending that it did not even happen. Cortez sat against the wall of the small training room and watched as his son still struggled with his strength.

"He's growing." Cortez thought to himself. "He'll be just like me. I know he will. I'm proud to have such a fervent and competitive son who will always try his best to be the best. One day he will make it as general and then eventually king. He will make me the proudest I've could ever feel in my life."

Nethanel opened his eyes to see that the night had overtaken the jungle instantly. The warm air still clung under the canopy, and he could hear various insects chirping and buzzing all around him. He moved his eyes around and kept his body still, trying to get the energy back into the eye muscles. Once he felt wide awake, he noticed that some of the pains had disappeared. He tilted his head to the side and was happy to know that the pains in his neck had disappeared. He lifted his head up to find the burly captain of the raft seated on the edge of the raft, humming a familiar tune that rang in Nethanel's ears like the fresh smell of home. The captain started to sing softly.

"Oh, one day I'd see

On that watery plain

A shipman or two

Rowing on their way.

Chins up high

Facing white and blue skies

Calling down on them

Revealing their pride.

They are warriors

They are symbols of strength

Facing great perils

With an unafraid face.

Authority driven

Is how they're known

Showing the world

Just how we row:

Triumphing, victorious

Eternal

Dignity."

Nethanel sighed to himself. That was the national anthem of the sailors of the rat kingdom, showing how hard-working and humble the sailors were. He heard this song many times when he traveled on rafts across many tributaries across the continent. He always wanted to explore as a child, but he found his place in the heart of the rat army. He started to feel proud of his hard-working colony, knowing just how great and prosperous they really were and have been for hundreds of years. He smiled peacefully and lied his head down on the moss, thinking about the dangerous events he experienced in his previous journey. He wondered to himself just how the rest of the team was. He wish he could be with Shade and the gang again and sighed in frustration as he remembered how mangled his body was. The time of reunification would have to wait for now.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: two years later

It was another beautiful night. The sun set itself down over the horizon to have her nightly rest as the moon rose over to replace her. Spring was immediately known when it came. Flowers blossomed, grass grew, the forest lifted its green foliage mass with pride, welcoming the moonlight as it shone over and painted their scalps with a bright white.

Tree Haven sat in its rightful spot in the middle of this peaceful forest. Mating season was over, and new mothers were welcomed into Tree Haven. It became the center of activity just after the grown males left for their first time to Stone Hold to be with their fathers. The females of the colony wouldn't stop talking with one another, and their excited voices rang out over the night.

Luna Silverwing looked around her as she perched alone on one of the ledges of Tree Haven. She felt at home being around all the anxious mothers, conversing with one another about various things. They talked about how much they would wonder about the heritage their sons or daughters will gain from the family or what they would be like in the future, or just plain "how would they look like? More like their father, or me?". Luna was anxious to know for her own son or daughter as well, especially since her mate was a half Silverwing and half Brightwing. He was at first, reluctant to go live in Stone Hold. He loved Luna so much that he did not want to go and wanted to stay with her for the rest of his life, but he eventually grew familiar to the customs and left, but not without breaking into tears. He did not want to wait – he wanted to stay and see his son or daughter for himself as soon as possible. Luna did not want Griffin to leave as well, but knew it was for the better to follow their culture. Besides, Griffin would get to live with his grandfather for a while.

Luna looked up and saw the elders talking as well. She always thought that whenever the elders conversed it was mysterious – they usually talked very quiet and hid in the dark from all the other bats. Most noticeable was Ariel, the chief elder of the Silverwing colony. She was always such a great elder, but Ariel herself admitted that the past elder was probably the best of the colony's history. She protected Shade from Brutus, general of the owl army in the past, when he was just a newborn.

The mothers of the females roosted in Tree Haven as well, even though they barely did anything but rest their bodies. Luna wished she could stay young forever at some points. She wanted to be active, always. In fact, she did not know what she was doing right now. What was she waiting for? She needed to go outside and fly around a bit. Before she unfurled her wings, Marina Brightwing swooped down and perched right beside her.

"How do you feel?" Marina said as she folded her wings, getting comfortable. Luna put on a puzzled face.

"What do you mean?" Marina lifted a claw and softly poked Luna's belly. Luna laughed in response. "Oh, the baby." She chuckled. "I am very excited to meet him." They both smiled at each other.

"So was I, Luna. Shade made such a handsome son." Marina said. Luna snickered and sighed, looking back at the crowds of females in midst of conversation.

"Will your son make a handsome son?" Luna asked.

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that. There's no doubt." Marina replied, seeming so sure of what she said. Luna smiled happily.

"Just wondering what you thought."

"Sure." Marina remarked apathetically. Silence followed.

"I miss Griff." Luna said quietly. Marina sighed and nudged her.

"He's doing just fine."

"No, I mean, I want to see him. I really do, Marina." Luna replied.

"Oh, yes, I know, but my heart ached as well when Shade went to Stone Hold. When I gave birth to Griffin, I hoped Shade would come as soon as possible. I wanted a united family." Marina sighed. "He did come back, but at a bad time. That's when you were killed and Griffin was sucked into that Underworld place." Marina looked away and breathed out raggedly. "Shade went into the Underworld to rescue my son and promised he'd return. When Griffin came back, Shade didn't, and I never felt so sad, but he did come after two years." Marina bowed her head and Luna looked at her with pity. "I know I'm being selfish. I had my son, but I still wanted my family to be unbroken." Luna put her hand on Marina's shoulder.

"Don't think that way, Marina. I would've known how you felt. I'd hate to be in a position where I could not do anything to help and I was forced to wait to see the outcome." Luna stated. "It's not your fault for thinking that way."

"I should think harder, and I should just accept and be thankful for what I had." Marina unfurled her wings and took off, disappearing out of the circular entrance to Tree Haven's interior and into the night. Luna bowed her head and rubbed her forehead in thought. She knew that Marina wanted to be alone right now to sort out her contemplations. She decided to rest in her spot for a few more minutes. She closed her eyes.

"Luna, I love you." Griffin said as he and Luna brushed against each other in embrace. In the distance just beside Tree Haven, the males waited. Luna put her lips gently on Griffin's cheek and gave him a soft kiss.

"Please, take care." Luna softly whispered to him.

"You too, and our child as well." Luna put her hand softly onto her stomach and smiled warmly to him.

"Of course." She said. Griffin gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and then flew to the crowd of males, looking back to Luna once before uniting with them. She stood in her spot, not keeping her eyes off of her mate. She did not dare move a muscle as the males flapped their wings and took off to the sky, they turned to Luna's direction and flew in a straight line just over her head. She slowly turned around as the crowd grew smaller and smaller until they finally disappeared over the trees.

Roma, Luna's mother, landed beside her daughter and put her hand on her back.

"He'll be fine." She said softly. Luna nodded without moving her eyes away. The two bats eventually flew back into Tree Haven as the sun set over the horizon, the sky swirling with vibrant colors that promised a peaceful night.

Luna opened her eyes. It was just a month ago, and she still felt like it happened right in front of her. She desperately wanted to see Griffin's face once again – she wanted to embrace him and dig her face into his thick neck scruff just once more.

One month passed, and the end of spring was nearing. In just a couple more months, the pups would be born and a new generation of Silverwing bats would arrive. Of course, as months grew, so did the females' anxiety and conversation periods. Luna never knew that she would have to put up with so much activity and chatter. Sometimes she had to go outside forcefully after her ears hurt by being put under too much pain by the continuous talking. It was night, and the activity simmered down just a little. Luna once again roosted alone and looked down tenderly at her slightly swollen stomach. She could not wait to meet her new son or daughter's face, and she was even more anxious for her colony to reunite with the males in Stone Hold. Luna never thought that she would have so much patience sitting around and waiting as her child grew and grew inside her. Usually when she was excited she would always be active no matter what, but now she knew what kind of passivity that a mother held.

Luna did not feed as often as usual, learning that eating too much and flying too much at the same time with a baby in her womb would upset her stomach greatly. So, she waited and rested as much as she could, dreaming happily about being with Griffin.

A week passed and Luna was out hunting, as well as many of the females in Tree Haven. It was almost like she could not escape from them and their nonstop chatterboxes. She occasionally got to eat in peace, but she preferred if it was like that every time.

After he had eaten her fill, she perched on a tree nearby Tree Haven and closed her eyes, letting the cool breeze wisp past her delicate silver fur. He heard the soft rustling of the tree's leaves as they bowed back and forth, letting the wind take control of them. She wrapped her wings comfortably around her body. Marina told her that humming a song was a great way for any mother's unborn child to remain perfectly calm and for him or her to get a good idea of their mother's voice when they are born. As so she started to hum a song that her mother used to sing to her when she was a newborn. She was never good at singing or humming for that matter, but she did her best to keep the notes perfect for the child to take in. As she hummed the simplistic song, she thought she could feel her child moving around inside, comforted in response to her soft humming. She felt great and never knew she could relax so well after doing something she always knew she wasn't good at. Luna kept up her humming and repeated the song about four times, feeling a phase of peace she did not experience in her past. She had taken the responsibility for a child and now she was going to use all in her strength to keep him safe.

When she had sung her song a fifth time, she finally stopped and sighed happily. She looked up and noticed that the sky was turning brighter and the dawn chorus started to sound out throughout the forest. Luna was glad she did not live when the owls closed the skies. She had nothing to fear, and she almost felt guilty for it.

"Psst!" A voice hissed from behind her. Luna's heart jumped in surprise and she looked behind her to find a Crimsonwing bat roosted near her.

"Could you not startle me, please? I have a child you know." Luna stated in frustration. The Crimsonwing bowed his head in apology. Luna looked more closely at the Crimsonwing and found his face to be familiar. He was almost as old as she was and his eyes shone bright under the moonlight.

"Rigel?" Luna said, dumbfounded. Rigel smiled and then snickered against Luna's surprised expression. "You're supposed to be in your colony's Stone Hold with the males!"

"You seem to think you know too much. Our Stone Hold is actually nearby your Tree Haven!" Luna rustled her wings in fascination.

"I did not know that! Well, it's nice to see you again! It's been years!" Rigel scratched the back of his head shyly.

"It has been hasn't it? I wish I could see my mate right now, but I guess it'll have to wait for another couple months." He sighed. Luna smiled.

"I can't wait to see my mate as well. Being reunited with a new child is the only thing on my mind right now. I used to be so active and playful, but now I'm so concentrative on this business that it makes me a bit sick." Luna explained. Rigel stifled a laugh. "It's not funny." He immediately stopped.

"So, you say you want to return to your old self?"

"Yes, but I also want what's best for my child, so I have to just give it up. It is hard though."

"I understand…I guess. Anyway, I just came for a visit, you know, just to see how you're doing!"

"I'm glad I got to see you again." Luna said. Rigel turned and unwrapped his wings to take off for flight.

"Good luck with your child, and say 'hi' to Griffin for me!" With that, he lit from the branch and disappeared into the foliage in just a second. Luna looked up into the canopy for a while until the sound of his wings faded out completely.

A couple of months passed over, and spring had instantly changed to summer. Warmth hung over the air and the time of the birth of the new pups was soon to arrive. In just a few days into the summer, the mothers started to give birth to their children, and excitement rose greater than ever before. The sound of the jovial mothers naming their children rung out all over Tree Haven and the air was filled with joyfulness, but even this ebullient happiness was immune to Luna. Her belly was greatly swollen and she was waiting with a beating heart for her child to exit her body, but the feeling never came and the child stubbornly stayed in his place inside of her womb. Luna began to feel hot with shame as she saw the mothers all around her tending to their newborn, feeding them their milk. Was she the only one having this problem? Desperate, she held her breath and started to apply pressure onto her stomach, hoping fervently and constantly that she would give birth, but it never happened, and her attempt only seeped her energy. Tears forming on her eyes, she lit from her roost and went up to the higher sections of the tree to roost alone. She did not want to embarrass herself any longer. She perched on a ledge and started to sob bitterly.

"What is wrong, my daughter?" Luna looked up to see Roma roosted just beside her. Her face had a look of sorrow on it as she saw her daughter's tear-matted face.

"Well, look at me!" Luna shouted, unfurling her wings to reveal her enlarged stomach. "I cannot give birth!"

"Now, Luna, calm down. This is not something to get so worked up about. Sure, it is common for the mothers to give birth simultaneously, but maybe this is a bit different, so what?" Roma said, not revealing the sense of disbelief hidden in her. "You just have to wait."

And so, Luna waited. Hours and hours passed by and her child sat snuggly inside of her womb, refusing to want to come out. Hopelessness overtook Luna like a swift wind and she closed her eyes tightly, hoping to herself that she was only dreaming and she would wake up soon. As time went by, she thought horrible thoughts. She began to think that there was a genetic disorder in her body, and then worse of all, she thought her child died while still inside of her. This thought caused Luna's heart to start beating unnaturally fast, and she started to gasp in breath as if choking. She was feeling nauseous and her body felt sickly hot. She immediately lit from her roost and flew outside as fast as she could and flew far away from Tree Haven and roosted on a tree branch next to a river. She looked around to make sure no one was around and then started to bawl her eyes out. She never felt emotional pain this horrible in her life. Was all her anticipation and patience done in vain?

After hours of weeping, Luna finally thought it was time to go back. She hung still on her branch and then started to slowly rock her body back and forth, humming her song in hopes that it would make her feel better. Maybe she did have to wait for a little while longer before her baby would decide to come out. Her spirits lifted somewhat and she finally lit from her roost, flying back to Tree Haven to rest from her depression, unaware of the silhouetted figures that peeked through a bush just below her.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Griffin

Griffin thought it was better than he had imagined. Being inside this cozy cavern surrounded by the males made him feel so much like he was at home. He became the center of attention when he entered the cavern. Nearly every male bat crowded over him and questions spurted from their mouths so simultaneously that Griffin was too confused to answer each bat's questions. Eventually he did get to telling the story of his journey in the Underworld and then in the Vampyrum pyramid. Griffin tried his absolute best to give most of the credit to his deceased father who helped him get through both journeys with his inspiring words and spirit. He knew he was not as brave or strong as his father and he probably would never be. But even though Shade was dead, he was not dead in his dreams. Every single dream he had was about him being with his father, and this helped him to remain happy each day. He knew that his father never left his side, even if he wasn't sleeping. He could always feel him right beside him, following him everywhere he went.

When he finally finished his story, the news of Shade's death spread out in Stone Hold and active conversation arose all around the cavern, soon gradually filled with voices. Eventually, Griffin got to meet his grandfather for the first time. He was surprised to see that he looked almost exactly like Shade, only the old features that lined his body showed that he had lived also lived a long hard life in the past. He looked so powerful and even if he was and old bat, his chest puffed out strongly and his posture was always straight. Griffin felt like he would make such a great elder.

That morning while the males rested, Griffin and Cassiel roosted outside the cave on a tree just next to the opening. Together they stared out into the sea that lied out just beside the caverns. The calm sound of the breakers helped the two bats to relax and meditate on their thoughts. Griffin felt uncomfortable to talk to his grandfather for some strange reason. He always thought that he was too weak to talk to someone that looked so powerful and wise.

"My son died twice honorably." Cassiel said aloud, trying to make it seem like he wanted to say it to himself in his mind. Griffin looked at Cassiel for a moment and then back out into the sea.

"You heard my stories?"

"Yes, of course." The old bat said with a smile. "I was a headstrong bat when I was a young adult – about your age right now." Griffin strained his eyes thoughtfully. "My son inherited his spirit and courage from me, and I am trying to sound as humble as I can. I am proud of Shade and what he has done for our kind. We made peace, Griffin."

"But, grandfather, how long will this peace last?"

"You have me thinking. Peace does not last forever."

"Only when you're dead it does."

"That's the case now isn't it?" Cassiel said with a deep chuckle. It seemed like a thunderclap to Griffin's ears.

"I'm glad to say, yes." Griffin said quietly. He saw Cassiel smile. "But, I miss him." Cassiel looked back at Griffin and nudged him comfortingly.

"My heart aches to know he is not here in this world with us any longer as well, but everyone dies." Griffin looked troubled.

"But, Grandpa, it's not fair! My dad never had a chance to live as long as any bat should. He died so early, and I wish he hadn't, even if it was for the sake of the world." Cassiel looked at him thoughtfully. "I see my Dad in my dreams, every time, but it isn't enough. I can't get over the facts." He breathed out raggedly and felt his face become hot. "I want to press my face into his chest. I want to smell his fur. I just want him to be real!"

"I know how hard it is for you, Griffin, but you have to realize what he fought for, and what he died for. Is it not enough that you see him at all? I bet he is ashamed that his son is thinking like this!" The last remark took Griffin back. He couldn't look at Cassiel and his entire body started to heat up. "He's here, Griffin. If you can see him in your dreams, he can be looking down on us right now. With Nocturna's help, Shade can possibly do anything."

"Could he tell her to bring him back??" Griffin started to feel annoyed. He hoped his own grandfather would think the same way as he did.

"That's his choice, Griffin." Cassiel paused and then embraced Griffin lovingly. "But I am happy that I still have you." Griffin managed to calm down almost instantly, his face pressed against Cassiel's neck scruff. It smelled exactly like Shade's – that very familiar and homey smell.

"Thank you, grandfather." Griffin whispered. Cassiel unwrapped his wings.

"I'm excited to see your mate and your child soon. You'll be a father, Griffin." Cassiel said with a warm grin.

"Me too!" Griffin said, his anxiety regained. "I've been missing Luna terribly ever since I left her! I just couldn't get her out of my head."

"Just a couple more months." Cassiel reminded him.

"Yeah." A short moment of silence resumed. "I haven't met my uncle yet! Where is he?"

"Ah, yes, Chinook. Um..well…" The way Cassiel paused made Griffin uneasy.

"Is there something wrong?"

"Well, he heard your story too, and he didn't react so well."

"Oh no."

"It's best to console him, Griffin. He went out into the forest just that way." Cassiel replied, pointing out into a patch of trees in the forest nearby Stone Hold.

"Thanks. See you, grandpa!" Griffin shouted as he was immediately flying into the forest. He sent out waves and waves of echo beams all over to catch a glimpse of any bat's figure. After minutes of searching, Griffin managed to trace out movements, but they were hard to perceive. He caught a silvery image just behind a small bush in the forest and he perked his ears up to hear muffled crying noises. Griffin landed on the other side of the bush and peeked over the side to see his uncle sitting down with his face buried in between his knees, weeping bitterly.

"Uncle…Chinook?" Griffin said. Chinook spluttered in surprise and lifted his head. He noticed Griffin and blinked his eyes constantly to stop the tears. His face was almost completely wet. Griffin widened his eyes in shock, wondering how a burly Silverwing male could cry like that.

"Griffin?" Chinook said with a weak, almost fake smile. "C'mere." Griffin crawled up to his uncle as he embraced Griffin with his powerful wings. "I'm so happy to finally see you."

"You didn't look so happy before." Griffin said, his face buried in his mane. Chinook sighed as Griffin sat on his knees. Chinook laid his hands on the soft grass and swept his wings over them as if in deep thought.

"I'm sorry." He finally said. "You think I'm a big guy, huh?" Griffin was surprised – it was like he read his mind. "Big guys have more fragile feelings." Chinook slowly stood up, groaning as if having back pains. Griffin stood up too and put his hand on his uncle's arm.

"Are you okay??"

"Yeah, yeah, don't worry." His uncle replied. "I was sitting down a bit too long."

"I never got a chance to hear your adventures with my father, even though my mom did let me hear some stories." Chinook smiled at this.

"Then I'll tell you some! But you'll have to wait. The leaders of Stone Hold have decided to have a little gather meeting for Shade's death. It's an honor thing you know?" Griffin nodded. "Thanks, Griffin. If you didn't come, I might've missed it." The two bats together flew back into the cavern, the sun sinking slowly over the horizon.

When night blanketed the forest, all the bats of Stone Hold were gathered into a single large crowd, hanging on the cavern ceiling. Below, on the cool dirt ground, stood all of the four leaders of Stone Hold, each holding a strange flower in their claws. Griffin, Cassiel, and Chinook were with them, standing to the side to wait for their turn to say their speech. Griffin felt nervousness claw at his heart ravenously – he had never talked to hundreds of male bats before. He felt himself trembling uncontrollably, and he tried his hardest to keep himself still. Chinook noticed.

"Hey, it's not that bad. Say what you want to say by the heart!" He whispered in his ear. Griffin didn't respond for a while.

"What should I say?"

"What you think about your father." This was all Chinook said. Griffin started to brainstorm vigorously as the leaders cleared their throats and got ready for the speech.

"Shade Silverwing was an inspiration to us all. He raised our spirits with his stories, and spread ebullience across the entire Silverwing colony. He is a true hero and he will be forever remembered in our hearts and in the hearts of generations of the Silverwings to come." The first leader said loud and clear. He bent down and dug the flower gently into the ground, stem down.

"He was an encouragement – a special kind delved deep into all our hearts. We all respect him for his bravery and his thirst for revolution that helped our regain our sun. He gave us peace for the price of his life, and we all thank him greatly for it." The second leader put his flower next to the first one.

"He kept us strong with his inspiring will to fight for our freedom. He is a hero that has faced amazing odds and, in turn, restored liberty to bat-kind. He sacrificed his life without complaint to help us all, and showed us what true heroism really is." The third leader placed in his flower.

"Shade has elevated our colony to prosperity and a lasting peace. The owls and beasts have signed the treaty, and the cruel law was vanquished. Shade is truly Nocturna's chosen and he deserved the position. His personality is something we all envy, and we could only sit back and wait as he went out there to risk his life for our sake. He saved the world…and Nocturna along with it." With that, the fourth flower went down, and the leaders flew up into the crowd to roost. Griffin felt like he had just been stabbed in the heart. Cassiel whispered to the others, "I'll go first." Griffin and Chinook nodded in agreement. Cassiel went over to the flowers and looked up at his colony. His voice was like thunder.

"When I was a newborn, I had the same spirit as my son. I had the same thirst for revolution and adventure, but something in me held me back. I always hated myself because of it, but now in my current age, I realize that it was best that I did not spark revolution – I was headstrong, gentlemen, and that kind of personality does not mix with true heroism.

I miss my son – he is not here with us any longer, but he will always be here in a different form, a supernatural form. We won't see him, but we will know that he is looking over us always.

I am happy for what my son has done throughout his life. He is a brave soul, and I'm almost proud to have a son like him, and I am usually humble. What Shade did was what no one else could, and that's what makes him so famous, so different, and for that we respect him even more than our own elders. We all wish Shade could be with us now, to inspire us further, but what he has done is already enough to encourage us to be more like him – brave, willing, and absolutely fearless. But let me tell you all: even heroes are afraid sometimes." Cassiel bowed his head and flew up to perch on the cavern ceiling within the crowd.

Chinook nudged Griffin.

"I'll go." Griffin smiled in comfort, even if the nervousness still tugged at him. Chinook flew and landed in the middle. He lifted his head and put on the most serious face he could muster.

"When I was young, I pushed Shade around. I called him a 'runt.' I did nearly all the things a bully could do, but I was a newborn, and I didn't know any better. I thought Shade was just a weak little bat who couldn't accomplish anything. Those thoughts gradually changed after he made that bet with me – the bet that started his revolutionary journey. He bet me to see the sun with him, just once. I was taken back at first, but I immediately accepted this, thinking to myself that a runt like him could not ever beat me in any kind of bet, but inside I was afraid – Shade Silverwing made me truly afraid. Even a bully like me could not stand to break the law, but my hot-headedness pushed me forward.

Well, we perched on that lone tree on the hill – a perfect spot to put an eye on the rising sun. While it rose over the horizon, my heart felt like it would jump out my throat in just a matter of seconds – I was so afraid that I quit and flew off like a pathetic little girl with no sense of bravery. Shade saw the sun though, and he jeopardized our colony enough for the owls to soon close the skies. I was so angry at him for this, but at the same time I respected him and I knew that I did something wrong as well. That's when I learned to befriend the runt, and to know that I should never underestimate someone again. My son is a grown bat now, and I have taught him not be like me. I have taught him to appreciate anyone, no matter how short, stupid, or pathetic they are. I have taught him to encourage others, just as Shade had done with his bravery.

Shade became like a brother to me when my parents died – eventually we did become somewhat like actual brothers. Now that he is dead, it weighs heavily on my heart, and I cannot help but to feel terrible about it, but I try to realize just what he had done to die so unexpectedly, and I feel better to know it. When he died, it was like a piece of my heart was ripped out, but it can be healed – it can be healed by recognition and meditation. I can move on, knowing about what Shade has done for me, no, for the entire race of bats – even the dreaded Vampyrum. Shade Silverwing, we will all miss you dearly." Chinook lit from the ground and perched onto the ceiling, next to a bat just as tall as him and with some of his features. Griffin noticed that it was his son.

It was his turn, and he felt completely immobile with fright. He felt alone, standing there, and he knew that he should not have to act like a statue for long. He had to force himself to walk up to the center of the cavern. He slowly lifted his head and looked at the waiting crowd. Some bats were whispering to each other anxiously.

"My – my dad was a mark of inspiration for me. He – he was someone I could look up to when I was depressed or feeling hopeless. After all the stories I heard of him when I was just a newborn, I was so excited to see him for the first time in my life. I was actually so proud to have a hero as a father, but I knew that I was nothing like him. I was weak, tenderhearted, and so reckless. I was often discouraged by this, and was actually ashamed to even be alive. I wished I was more like my father – every day of my life.

I've told my story about the Underworld before, and all the horrible things I had to go through. The thing that matters most to me is that I made it at the end. I doubted that I was brave, but my dad reminded me that I was brave enough to go through things that I was afraid of. 'Being scared and doing it anyway' is what he told me before he died the first time. He gave his own life so that Luna and I could live again, and that was something that required so much love to do. My father truly is a bat with a spirit that no other bat has ever witnessed before. I may not live up to the reputation of my dad, but I will remember until my death what he has done, and I'm happy enough to know it." Griffin expected himself to say way less, but he was surprised that he had actually said way more than he needed to. A sudden rustle of wings filled the entire cavern, and Griffin felt hot, flattered by the applause.

"Well, you've accomplished something, huh?" Griffin thought to himself. "Next time, don't doubt yourself so much!"

Throughout the rest of the night, the males did the same routine that they ever did – hunt and rest in the cavern. Griffin, Cassiel, and Chinook hunted together and when they had filled their stomachs, they perched on their tree by the sea, staring out into the stars in meditation.

"You did good, Griffin." Cassiel said, breaking up the silence. Chinook nodded from beside him.

"What he said!"

"Nah, it's nothing." Griffin said, laughing.

"I have a question though." Cassiel said, causing Griffin and Chinook to fix their eyes on him. "Did you mean what you said last? About you being 'happy enough to know' what Shade had done before his death?"

"I guess not." Griffin said admittedly. Chinook faltered a bit.

"W – wait, what does that mean?"

"I'm not entirely happy that my dad is gone away from this world. I want him here with me, and I don't know what can cure this urge." Chinook coughed.

"Perhaps time will sooth those feelings." Cassiel said with an assuring tone. Griffin tried to smile.

"I hope so, grandfather."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Regaining

It was silent in the jungle ever since the earthquake came and destroyed the pyramid entirely. All that was left of it was a collapsed pile of rubble and debris. Zotz's ritual has been completely ruined along with it, and now there were no Vampyrum to carry out his intentions – except for several survivors. One of the survivors happened to be Phoenix, the queen of the entire Vampyrum colony. Her two children, Shadow and Selene, managed to escape the collapsing pyramid, and several other followers have as well. There was one more survivor who could easily be distinguished apart from the Vampyrum. It was a demon – a demon spawned from a dark spirit trapped under the pyramid's base. With him, the small amount of Vampyrum had great potential. The male and female followers would breed, and the Vampyrum would grow once again.

Phoenix never made it clear, but inside, she fumed, and a growing hatred burned in her heart – hatred towards all bats. Her hatred clouded her mind so greatly, that she had intentions of starting a complete clearing out of every bat alive, whether it be a Silverwing or a Vampire bat – she did not care. She had darker rituals up her sleeve, and she would do anything to have absolutely no oppositions to prevent her from using these rituals. Of course, she could not practice the rituals without help, and she knew where she could find even more Vampyrum, only these Vampyrum were part of a tribe, and they were outcasts from the pyramid. If any Vampyrum were an outcast, they were not even considered a Vampyrum. Phoenix knew that this tribe hated the Vampyrum greatly and formed a small group of their own to practice the darkest of Zotz's rituals without their disturbance. Phoenix knew that convincing them to help her would be a challenge, but she had no other hope left if she wanted to raise Zotz.

Phoenix, her children, and the followers found a small glade in the center of the jungle and made it their rendezvous site until the next moon. They hunted separate from each other while the creature sat next to the pool, cross-legged, his huge, bloodshot eyes concentrating on the water without any movement. This creature was a work of any dark spirit – he had the body structure of a human, but his skin was made of a hard sinewy substance and armor as hard as stone lined throughout some parts of his body. His head looked like a tough helmet that reached down all the way to the top of his mouth, no lips and always baring razor-sharp teeth. He was a fierce sight, and his long and deadly claws only made it worse. He could even withstand the power of a small army of Vampyrum with his great strength.

When the hunting was finally over, everyone gathered next to the glade and hung on a single, powerful limb overlooking the pool below. Shadow and Selene were wrapped in Phoenix's wings, cuddling against her powerful chest. Phoenix looked up at the sky, which was slowly getting brighter as the sun started to peek over the horizon. Eventually, her eyes drooped shut and she fell asleep, resting her body for the night to come.

The group flew through the underbelly of the jungle's canopies and foliage, Phoenix leading the way through. Everyone had no idea where they were going or how deep inside the jungle they were going to fly into. Below, the demon creature swiftly crawled through the shrubs and deep grass below as if he was a slithering snake.

Phoenix stopped flying when the group arrived at a small clearing in the jungle with a rocky cliff face set just in the center of the clearing. A massive waterfall roared and fell over the middle of the cliff and into a large river below which snaked out into the deeper parts of the jungle. The Vampyrum sighed in relief as they felt the cool mist caused by the waterfall spray against their fur.

For a few minutes Phoenix was hovering in the same spot, turning her head around and inspecting the area thoroughly. Selene groaned in impatience.

"Mom, what are you doing?" She asked. Phoenix let a grin form casually.

"Making sure this is just the right place."

"How do you know where this tribe is anyway?"

"I was once an outcast."

"What??" Selene and Shadow simultaneously said. The followers didn't say a word and the demon was leaning against a tree on his back.

"Yes, a long time ago."

"Before you died right?" Shadow asked. Phoenix let out a deep breath.

"Yes…before I died." She said quietly. Phoenix flew until she was just in front of the waterfall. She flapped around all the sides of the roaring water, inspecting it with great concentration. "The caverns should be behind this waterfall." Shadow looked at her mother in shock.

"But it looks too powerful to fly through!"

"That's what it looks like, huh?"

"Queen, I warn you, the tribe is very hostile and may break out on us." A follower reminded her. Phoenix nodded in understanding.

"Then I'll break them." She simply said, diving into the waterfall and disappearing in a spray of mist. Selene gasped in shock when she saw her mother disappear through the tower of water.

"Is she – " Selene started to say weakly.

"Settle down, girl." Shadow said with a laugh, diving into the waterfall next. He too disappeared instantly, almost like the waterfall swallowed him whole.

Phoenix emerged into a cavern, its atmosphere thick with the smell of herbs and dust. The waterfall's roaring sounds echoed throughout the cavern, bouncing off the walls and traveling into the dark depths. Even using her echo beams, Phoenix could not detect where the cavern ended. It was a straight path forward, and telling by the burned sticks implanted on the rocky walls, she knew this is where the tribe dwelled. Shadow emerged just behind his mother and landed beside her, his eyes transfixed into the darkness of the caves. Soon, Selene and the followers appeared through the waterfall and regrouped with Shadow and Phoenix. The demon walked through the torrent just seconds afterwards, the water seeming to open itself up like a curtain to let the creature through. The demon nonchalantly leaned its back against the wall.

"They're here. Do you hear that?" Phoenix asked the group without turning her head. The followers perked up their ears, focusing with all their might on the unknown sounds. Far into the depths of the cave, soft voices could be heard, but these voices seemed more like low moans eerily echoing across the caves.

"Prayers?" One of the followers asked indistinctively. The creature reacted to the voices and started to breath heavily as it started to amble with large steps into the darkness of the cavern. Shadow and Selene eyed the creature strangely as it walked by.

"Mom, the thing's acting strangely." Selene said.

"Oh, please, honey, its name is the Bodyguard. I've told you this before." Phoenix said, chuckling. "Let's follow him." With that, the entire group lifted off silently and flew after the Bodyguard.

When about half an hour had passed, Phoenix's echo beams finally bounced back to her. They had reached the end. The smell grew stronger and stronger as they inched nearer into the domain of the tribe. Below, they could see all kinds of bones scattered throughout the floor, and the smell of blood started to emanate throughout the thick air. The Bodyguard stopped ambling and stood straight, his eyes fixed on the roosting bats before him. The followers landed beside the demon and they became completely unmoving, looking around the room as if they'd never seen anything like it. Shadow kicked aside a bat skull accidentally, and the rustling of powerful wings filled the room so suddenly that even the Bodyguard stepped back in fright. Phoenix shot out echo waves and saw the silvery image of flapping wings on the ceiling. Just in front of the group was a pile of stones, and a single large, smooth rock sat on the top. Phoenix used her echo waves to analyze the tower of stones and then a silvery, blurry image of a single Vampryum started to appear on top of the smooth rock. The blurriness of the Vampyrum faded away and his figure became clearer in seconds. It was almost like he used a cloaking sound technique to make him immune to echo beams.

Once the Vampyrum's figure was complete, all eyes were fixed on him. He was of very old age, his fur wrinkled in many places, his face flat and his nose slightly perked downwards. His eyes were piercing – an endless sea of pitch black, and his wings even formed small cobwebs across them. His body was actually muscular and he sat cross-legged on his rock. His eyes were set on the group of Vampyrum settling below him. Phoenix slowly opened her mouth, ready to speak, but the old bat raised his wing to signal silence. Phoenix closed her mouth in embarrassment and the Vampyrum slowly folded his wings.

"What brings you Vampyrum to my dwelling?" He said, his hoarse voice echoing throughout the caverns. The way he sounded sent a chill running down the followers' spines. Phoenix had finally thought it was time to speak up for the group.

"The pyramid is destroyed." This reply forced the perched Vampyrum above to whisper to each other. The old bat raised his powerful wing and they resumed silence.

"And that means…"

"Almost the entire Vampyrum race is gone. The ritual has failed." Almost on cue, the old bat started laughing heartily, and in just a few seconds, the Vampyrum above started to cackle and laugh with him. Phoenix muttered curse words under her breath.

"It is about time they have failed. It was destined for their practices to become corrupt. They should have listened to us and used the darker rituals for the uprising of Cama Zotz. They had to be more serious with their practices." The old bat replied, chuckling afterwards. The laughing grew into silence in just a few seconds.

"This is a tragic event." Phoenix said behind clenched teeth. The old bat wrinkled his face and sniffed.

"I'm sure it is." He lifted his body up smoothly and cracked his neck a few times before speaking again. "And I'm sure that you plan to make an alliance with us?" Phoenix muttered a "yes" and a few chuckles came out from the crowd above. "I foresaw this as well." The bat said to himself loud enough for them to hear. Phoenix gave a flick of her wing and the Bodyguard stepped into view. His bitter eyes glared at the old Vampyrum.

"A demon by your side." The old bat said, laughing. "Well, your hopes have increased somewhat." Phoenix bared her teeth.

"What is that supposed to mean? We could join you and become invincible!"

"Invincible isn't the first thing that came to my mind." The old bat said, coolly, folding his wings. "Especially coming from a few halfwits who could not fulfill a simple ritual." Phoenix shouted in anger.

"We were teamed on by both the owls and the beasts!" Phoenix said angrily.

"Even with Zotz's dark powers by your side you could not destroy them?"

"…No." At this, the old bat laughed again.

"Pathetic." The Vampyrum wrinkled his nose. "What do you do now? You have nothing left."

"Nothing except your tribe." Phoenix replied.  
"What makes you think I will join you?"

"Think about this: we join, we raise Zotz and destroy every living thing. We can do this together. With your darker practices and our loyalty, we can raise Zotz successfully."

"What are your plans?"

"Genocide."

"Genocide." The old bat repeated with another haughty laugh. Phoenix's face started to burn. "Of what, may I ask?"

"Every bat alive. We will make no oppositions. With the power we hold, it will be no problem. The Chosen Ones are retired."

"Ah, yes, the Chosen Ones. I see they have successfully stopped you from completing the ritual. Pity."

"Yes, but they are done. This will be a breeze. We will kill everyone."

"I like the sound of that." The old bat seemed to finally smile down on them. "I really like it." Phoenix let an evil grin spread across her face. The old bat flicked a wing upward and the entire army of Vampyrum perched above lit from their roosts and landed around the old bat. Phoenix was nearly taken aback by pure shock. Every single one of the Vampyrum were so skinny that their ribs looked like they were about to burst through their fur, and to top it off, each one had a trait of mutation. Whether it was a protruding infection from various parts of their bodies to strangely shaped wings, these Vampyrum were in seriously poor condition, and every one of them looked like they had been torn up in a brutal fight. They almost did not even look like normal Vampyrum, and now only one word popped into Phoenix's mind. "Mutants."

There was no doubt about it. Just looking at these creatures made her sick.

"We are Halfwings." The old bat stated. The Halfwings started to sneer and mutter nonsensical words. "We are outcasts of the Vampyrum Spectrum, devoted followers of Zotz and his darkest rituals. I am Grottos." The old Vampyrum extended his wing and outstretched his claw. Phoenix smiled and walked up to the Vampyrum, extending out her wing and then enclosing her claw around Grottos's, shaking it warmly. The followers in the back just stared in disbelief.

"By joining the Halfwings, you must become one yourself." The air seemed to grow thicker and thicker, and Phoenix's vision started to become blurry, failing her and causing her to become dizzy. Before she knew it, she was falling, and her vision turned into blackness.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Invasion

Even though night had taken over the skies, the heat of summer still hung in the air. Insects drones lazily outside Tree Haven as the females hung in their roosts, tending to their newborns who hung against their chests. It was unnaturally quiet, especially after all the chatting that was done in the past. Soon they would go out to hunt.

Luna was sitting on a ledge high up in Tree Haven. She bent her body at a backward angle so that her stomach could rest at a comfortable position. Just beside her, a female medic bat was concentrating deeply on her stomach, pressing her thumb softly against various parts around her abdomen. Luna sighed raggedly as she looked upwards into the huge opening that served as an alternate exit for Tree Haven. The moonlight shone through the opening and painted the great oaken walls with its magnificent silvery lights. The only sounds that echoed throughout the interior of Tree Haven were the muffled whines of the newborns and the soft rustling of the mothers' wings. Even the elders were resting, huddled together on a ledge just on the other side of the one Luna was resting on.

Luna had told no one of her appointment with the medic bat. Not even her own mother knew about it. She was desperate, and needed to know what was going on inside of her. She had enough of the horrible thoughts that occupied her through the day. Luna looked down at the nursing female who now pressed her right ear gently on her belly. Luna knew this medic well, even when she was younger. She smiled indistinctively as the medic stood perfectly still, listening with great concentration. The medic then turned her head around and used her right ear to listen. Luna quickly hid her smile and looked away. She had to say something.

"Thanks for helping me, Mia." Luna said shyly. Mia chuckled.

"Always a pleasure." Mia used her left ear again. Luna started to feel pity towards Mia when she looked down at her stomach to find her own newborn clinging to her chest with all its might. Why did she have to ask for Mia's help when she had her own child to take care of? She was amazed at how well she balanced herself so her pup wouldn't hit the floor or most likely lose its grip.

"Male or female?" Luna asked her as she pressed her thumb onto Luna's stomach once more. She lifted her head and smiled without looking at her.

"Joy." Mia simply said.

"Ah." Luna replied, knowing now that her child was indeed female. "It's a nice name."

"Thank you." Mia responded. Minutes passed by as Mia did the same procedures, and Luna wished she would come up with a final diagnosis already. In just another minute, Mia finally raised her head for the last time and sighed with relief. Luna almost smiled.

"Well?" She said anxiously.

"Nothing wrong. All you have to do is wait a little longer!" Mia stated. Luna sighed happily.

"I wish I could hug you." She said. Mia just laughed in response.

"Me too, Luna. Don't worry now, your child will be just fine." With that, Mia stood up, wrapping her wings around her clinging pup. She lifted her effortless, the pup now clinging on tightly to her chest. Mia nodded down to Luna, who returned the gesture, and then hovered down from the ledge to perch back to her own roost. When she was gone from sight, Luna looked down tenderly at her swollen stomach and embraced it lovingly. No longer did she have to worry about her child. Mia was never wrong with her final decisions. She was finally sure now that her pup would exit her womb soon. She couldn't wait to meet him. Luna noticed her heart pumping fast – she had to settle down. Just as she was going to go back to her roost, all the females started to rustle about, getting ready to take off. In a flurry of beating wings, they exited Tree Haven in a blur. It all seemed so fast that Luna was breathless at the sight, and in seconds, the tree was nearly empty. She saw Marina flying up to her from below and in response, Luna clung to the edge of the ledge with her claws and swung upside down. Marina grabbed hold of the edge just beside Luna and swung down. She gave Luna a warm smile and nuzzled her neck.

"You look happy." She said. "I'm glad."

"I'm more than glad to know I'll be fine."

"I always knew you would be." Marina said, nuzzling her again. "Ready to hunt?"

"Slow down so I can catch up."

"I know." Marina replied mischievously.

The sun was starting to rise through the warm and lazy morning time. After the females had hunted, they went back into the cozy interior of Tree Haven and tended towards their newborns. Luna was hanging from her ledge, amazed at how well they followed their routines. It was almost like they were all mindless drones made to fulfill only a couple things without a thought or a care. She only wished that her own child were clutching onto her chest right now. She still had to think of a good name for her child. She did not know whether it would be a he or she, but that didn't worry her. She never was good at thinking of names.

Everyone was getting ready to fall into slumber until suddenly, a high-pitched scream rang just outside Tree Haven, reverberating painfully across the oak's interior. Panicked discussions started to rise from the mothers as well as the cries of their newborn. The scream was so unexpected and sudden that Luna fell off of her perch. Lifting into the air and balancing herself, she hovered back to her ledge and landed on her knees and claws. She peeked over the edge and saw the fearful shuffling of the mothers, some trying hard to keep their newborns from crying any longer.

Luna herself was in a state of panic, and all she could do was watch helplessly at the pitiful sight below. She noticed an elder spreading her wings and landing on a ledge just below the Elders' roost. Ariel awakened from her sleep and peeked downward at the elder in surprise.

"Alanis, what are you doing?" She asked. The elder looked up and spread her wings.

"Did you not hear the scream outside?"

"It sounded much like a bird."

"No, it was a bat. One of us." Hearing her mighty voice, the mothers started to chatter anxiously towards each other. Luna could see that most of them had an expression of pure fear planted on their faces. "We must investigate! We could be in danger!"

"I see no need to be so straight-forward and reckless, especially after what had happened two years ago." Ariel said, raising her voice enough so that it reverberated throughout the interior.

"We must be cautious at all times, Ariel."

"Then, I shall go with you." Ariel, spreading her wings, hovered down next to Alanis. Nodding to each other, Ariel rustled her wings loudly. The entire colony fell grimly silent. "Everyone, calm down! Alanis and I shall investigate this matter with great haste. Everything will be fine!" Alanis shot Ariel a quick look of disapproval. Ariel lifted from the ledge and flew over towards the exiting hole, moonlight mysteriously peeking in. It shone bright against her silver fur as she clung on to the edges of the hole, waiting for Alanis. Alanis hesitantly hovered down towards the hole as well, clinging on the other side.

"I'll go first, Ariel. Who knows what will be out there?" Right when she finished her sentence, a sick, bony claw whipped out into the hole and tightened its grip completely around Alanis's head. Her body was dragged out quicker than a flash as another claw extended and swooped downwards toward Ariel. She pushed herself off of the wall speedily and the claw caught her in the cheek, making a clean cut across her face. Ariel yowled in pain as the claw retracted out into the night. Screams started to arise from the mothers in the tree. Panic and confusion filled Tree Haven like a wildfire.

Luna was frozen solid with fear. Seeing Alanis dragged out of the knothole caused her heart to feel like it was shattered – she knew the colony was in danger now. She peered over at the hole and saw nothing else. There were no signs of any kind of figure. It was all just as sudden as the piercing scream outside. Whatever did this to the bat was waiting outside, ready to kill all who would exit.

Ariel eventually landed on a ledge just on the other side of the exiting hole and spread her wings swiftly.

"Silverwings! Leave through the upper opening! The creatures most definitely do not know about it!" Suddenly, shouts of despair rose from the mothers.

"Are you crazy??"

"We're all going to be killed!"

"What kind of murderous thing is out there??" But Ariel, the elders, and several Silverwings were already exiting through the opening above. Luna quickly followed behind the flying bats and hurried into the warm night. She did not know where Ariel was taking them, but it had to be someplace safe. She looked behind her and saw the rest of the colony rising from the tree and fluttering towards them in a blur. Luna looked around frantically but could find absolutely no sign of any creature. Ariel and the colony were heading straight into the forest northeastwards and Luna felt safe inside of the trees, hidden by the dark foliage. This feeling, however, was quickly torn apart when she suddenly heard screams echoing from behind. She peered behind her hesitantly to find several dark figures chasing them, a couple of them lounging back, each with a bat in their long claws. Luna forced herself to look back, shutting her eyes tightly. With her echo vision, she followed the elders and the flight seemed to last forever. She had no idea how far they were treading from Tree Haven, even though the colony did make curved maneuvers in their escape. It all felt like they were following a single trail, but where in the world were they going?

A couple more screams arose from behind, and Luna didn't dare look back. It was immediately followed by a sick, tearing noise, and Luna nearly cried out in anguish.

A bat lied silhouetted in the trees' canopy, watching as the Silverwing colony blurred past him in a maddened frenzy, the beasts from behind chasing them. The beasts were not as fast in their flying maneuvers as the Silverwing colony, but there would be no doubt that they would catch up to them soon. He had to do something before it was too late. Spreading out his wings, shining brilliantly in the moonlight, he lifted off, keeping himself inside of the safety of the trees' foliage. His pure-white fur would give him off if he flew any lower than he already did. Spraying out a delicate sheet of sound concentrated by both his mouth and ears, he cloaked himself – his fur started to bristle and blend in with the leaves around him, changing into a soft blur against the trees. As soon as his entire body had cloaked in, he rested his larynx muscles just a little, and continuously spewed the sound from his mouth in short, quiet bursts. If he would stop, the cloaking would wear off almost instantly. Saving the Silverwings would be a challenge.

Ariel stopped in her flight and landed just beside the base of a large tree. The elders and Silverwings stopped abruptly and cries of newborns rang in the air as well as the muffled moans of the mothers.

"What's going on?"

"Why are they stopping??"

"They are going to catch up soon!"

"Silverwings! Land!" Ariel commanded in a mighty voice. The Silverwings immediately did as they were told and landed on the soft ground. "Everybody, into the hole!" Indeed there was a large hole set at the base of the trees, disguised by thin roots and crackled leaves. One by one Silverwings dived into the hole, Ariel and the elders staying behind so that they make sure everyone gets in alive and well. Luna stayed behind Ariel and caught a glimpse of Marina diving into the dark hole.

"Where does it lead?" Luna asked.

"Shelter Cave." Ariel said quickly, as if in a dreadful hurry. "Hurry, Silverwings! There are no signs of the monsters. We must act as quick as we can!" The pace didn't seem to quicken. Suddenly, the rustling of leaves above indicated their arrival. The remaining Silverwings started to cry out in fear and panic.

"Hurry! Hurry!" Luna said, assisting some of those who were too afraid to even move. She knew she had to do something. She glanced up and noticed the branches beyond twirling and swinging around, only a hundred wing-beats away. They would arrive soon. Luna hurried the scared Silverwing mothers along into the hole as quickly as she could. Her heart was racing – she didn't want any more lives being taken in those monsters' hands. She worried about Mia – was she still alive?

They gained in, closer and closer, until they were just several wing-beats away. The elders positioned themselves next to each other, hissing up into the tree canopy. Luna stayed behind and focused with great concentration into the foliage. The dark figures could be seen above them, baring their sharp fangs and brandishing with their unnaturally long claws. The first couple of beasts suddenly rocketed off of the branches above, extending their claws for the kill. Before they were within two wing-beats of the Silverwings, a quick and powerful burst of wind wisped around the scene and an almost visible barrier of sound forced the creatures backwards. Luna did not believe what she just saw. A couple more tried to attack, but surely the sound barrier appeared again and sent them careening into the air and hurdling onto the ground painfully. The remaining creatures resting on the branch looked back, bewilderment glistening even in their eyes. They looked back hungrily at the defenseless Silverwings and started to growl and snarl viciously. Almost too suddenly, a thin strip of light emanated from the ground just before the Silverwings on the ground. The strip widened and twisted in strange patterns until it was the shape of a huge serpent. The serpent image glistened and glowed in the morning sun. It jaws spread out, lined with incredibly sharp teeth, and an ear-piercing screech blared out of it. The sound was so powerful, the bushes, trees' canopies, and even the creatures swayed around wildly. This sight was so frightening that the creatures immediately turned away, whining and screaming in terror and soon disappearing into the foliage above. The image of the glowing serpent evaporated into millions of beads which eventually disappeared in thin air, and everything was still. Luna and the elders noticed that all the Silverwings had already gone inside.

"What – what just happened?" Luna breathed out. She saw Marina shake her head.

"Whatever happened just saved us. Right now we must take shelter in the cavern below and tend to the Silverwings, hastily!" Ariel exclaimed.

Luna entered the cavern inside and warm air instantly pushed against her fur. The smell was so welcoming that all the fear and sorrow temporarily disappeared from her mind. The cavern was huge. Above her, Luna could see systems of roots spreading out across the dirt ceiling as if reaching for something. She flapped around the cavern and noticed that each side of the walls had deep burrows perfect for roosts. Nearly every single burrow was occupied.

"This way, Luna." Marina called from behind. Luna turned around and saw Marina and the elders flapping towards the end of the cavern. She immediately followed behind until they reached an empty burrow. The elders perched onto the ceiling of the burrow as well as Marina. Luna perched beside the Brightwing.

"What were those things? I've heard of many species of animals, but nothing like this." An elder spoke out. Ariel shook her head and sighed raggedly.

"The colony is in danger." She whispered out loud enough so they all could hear it.

"Ariel's right. Those things are not done searching us out, but why us?" Another elder stated.

"This, even I don't know…" Ariel said. "We have to stay here until they give up."

"But how will we know even that?" Marina asked to the elder. Ariel put her hand on her forehead. Luna never saw her so frustrated.

"We must rest. Our encounter has stricken us with pain and sorrow. We need time to heal, but by Nocturna's will we shall escape and return home once again." Suddenly, a series of cries rang out from the distance, and Ariel took off from her roost immediately in response. Luna, Marina, and all the elders did the same, flapping vigorously to catch up. When they reached the entrance hole, Luna noticed a bat poking his head out of the hole, slumped on his stomach. She instantly knew that it wasn't one of those monsters.

"Everyone, relax! This is a normal bat!" Ariel shouted out. The colony started to calm down gradually. Once the cries settled, the bat crawled out of the hole and fluttered out from it, hovering just before the elders.

"They're gone – for now at least." The bat said. Luna was amazed. This bat's fur was the brightest she'd ever seen, even brighter than Marina's. His fur was pure white, as if enveloped by some kind of luminescence on its own. Seeing the many wrinkles strewn across his fur, Luna knew that this bat was of very old age.

"Zephyr." Ariel said, nodded her head formally. Zephyr shook his head and smiled.

"No need for formal introduction. I'm here to help." With that, Zephyr took off and fluttered over their heads, towards the empty burrow at the end of the caves.

"I am growing very old. I want to help your colony in my last days." Zephyr explained as they all were perched in their cozy burrow once again. The old bat's statement made Luna cold with pity. She had been told about Zephyr many times when she was younger, but she had never imagined seeing him at this time. She was absolutely speechless and could only listen as the albino spoke.

"I am assuming you have seen the monsters." Ariel stated.

"Monsters." Zephyr laughed. "Mutants. Halfwings."

"Pardon?"

"Halfwings. These 'monsters' are Vampyrum Spectrum." Those mere two words sent a shiver down Luna's spine.

"How do you know this?"

"I know their location. I know what they converse about. With these ears, I can find out things most useful." Zephyr said, poking his head. "They are raised with dark, restless souls delved deep inside of them, keeping their mangled bodies alive and their rightful souls clinging on to remain on the earth.

"They are rogues of the Vampyrum Spectrum. They practice the darkest rituals rejected by the Vampyrum themselves. They have heard of the fall of the 'Pyramid Vampyrum' two years back and are planning a brutal and cold-blooded genocide of all bats in order for them to have absolutely no opposition while they fulfill their rituals of raising Cama Zotz."

"Genocide." Ariel breathed out. The elders looked at each other uncomfortably. Luna herself started to become afraid. She thought that the Vampyrum were done for. Just how many rituals do they plan to complete? When will it all end?

"They aren't finished with this colony. Once they target their rightful prey, they won't stop until the prey is killed." Silence resumed in a short moment. Zephyr breathed in and coughed hoarsely before speaking again. "I will dedicated my last breaths to preparing your colony for battle."

"Battle, but the females don't – " Ariel started, but was immediately interrupted by Zephyr's raising of his wing.

"Leave it to me, Ariel Silverwing. When day rises, I shall contact the males and summon them to this cavern. United, we will stop the Vampyrum once and for all – with my help at least."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Conversion

Phoenix sat alone in her tight little cavern room feeling sour in her stomach. The entire cavern was so uncomfortable that she felt that it would cave-in at any time. She wasn't claustrophobic either. She had no idea why, but being inside the cavern made her feel she was in a new world – she was a convict of these disgusting creatures, these traitors. She didn't know how much longer she had to wait. Grottos had led her to a large tunnel in the back of the main throne room of the waterfall caves. This tunnel spiraled erratically, deeper and deeper into the depths of the earth. Popping from random walls of the tunnel were even more passageways that may have led to different, tense rooms like the one she was in. She felt sick just thinking about how deep that tunnel went. When Grottos had led her to the room, he told her to wait for a while and the "conversion process" would begin. He did not mention any descriptions, not even an estimated time when it would happen – he merely left her in the room to rot and left the room.

The atmosphere was uncomfortably thick, and the air smelled slightly of old blood. Not even the dirt smelled like dirt should smell. It was so unbearably warm, and she felt a drop of sweat run down her face. That drop of sweat did not even make her feel any better. She dragged herself over to the bumpy wall and hit her back hard on it, slumping on the floor and panting. She was becoming very impatient, and was ready to leave the cave. Perhaps coming here wasn't a very good idea.

Before considering her departure, she heard a strange scuttling sound echoing in the distance. Phoenix fixed her eyes on the entrance, her heart racing and keeping her fully aware. She couldn't blink – it was almost like her brain was forcing her to remain aware, as if something terrible was just about to happen. In a matter of seconds, the scuttling sounded like it was just right next to her, and then it stopped. Phoenix felt like the thick air around her was compressing against her. It was almost too much to handle. She felt the need to retch, but she couldn't even do that in her current state. In a couple of seconds she managed to sing a few weak echo beams into the opening and a silvery figure lit up so suddenly that she fell back in fright. Simultaneously, the figure jumped into the small room with an unearthly screech, landing heavily on top of Phoenix. She sent out echo beams silently at the creature's face and saw two huge, hideous eyes glaring at her. His face was torn and bloodied, and his mouth hung open, saliva dripping from his chin. The creature's teeth were a fearsome sight – they were horrifically sharp and some were awkwardly crooked. Phoenix noticed that his left cheek was torn open from the left side of his mouth, and strands of flesh held tight against the fur to keep the flaps of his cheek together. She looked down at his lower body and the flesh from his chest all the way down to his belly was torn wide open, mangled flesh and organs revealed disgustingly. Strands of sinew and flesh also made a somewhat patch-like formation across the torn cavity. Phoenix couldn't believe that this thing was still alive. He had wings, but she could only doubt he used to be one of her.

When the disgusting creature bent down closer to her, Phoenix felt a terrifying vibe inch its way speedily across her spine. She felt cold, as if staring into the eyes of Cama Zotz himself. There was no way out for her. Even if she could maybe fight the beast, her arms were numb with fear, and there was no way she could make any kind of maneuver.

The creature bent down further until his bloody snout was just an inch away from Phoenix's mouth. He then started to sniff her face and then down her neck and eventually her breast. He growled what seemed like a satisfying growl and his snout reached back to her neck. His mouth started to creak open threateningly and Phoenix immediately knew what he planned. She flinched, but the creature thrashed both his powerful arms down on hers and pinned her down. The creature bent down, sitting on Phoenix's belly as if she was useless carrion. He then started to nibble delicately on her right cheek. The stinging pain shot through Phoenix's nerves and she only knew that it would get worse. She started to shed angry tears as she shamefully accepted her fate – the creature was too strong. Suddenly, the creature let out a horrifying snarl and sank his teeth into Phoenix's neck. The Vampyrum screamed pitifully, warm blood spilling from her neck as the monster tore and swallowed the flesh ravenously, not bothering to chew. It was almost like he hadn't eaten for a month. Phoenix felt trickles of blood flowing down her mouth, and her eyes were wide open with horror. She could no longer scream, and she only felt immense pain as the hungry monster tore hunks of flesh out of her chest and swallowed them whole. She felt like a defenseless pigeon being eaten by one of her own. Phoenix tried to not think of the pain, accepting her inevitable death – she was surprised that she wasn't dead yet after the creature had torn a huge chunk out of her neck. She could still feel the blood flowing. After swallowing another hunk of flesh, the beast crawled closer, his bottom dragging against her upper body. He bent down again and started to tear at her left eyelid – it was effortlessly ripped off of her eye socket and Phoenix felt the blood running against her eyeball. How could she feel so much pain and yet live through it. A fire burned in her mind as she struggled not to think of pain. It was hard, and she only suffered worse. The hungry creature then bent back down to her abdomen and started to sink his teeth in, ripping more flesh out. Phoenix wanted to just die already. Was Zotz keeping her alive? How could he? She started to curse him in her mind as the creature proceeded gulping down the bloody flesh. Phoenix finally started feeling her mind passing away, her heart wearing out. She finally blacked out as the monster kept feeding on her ravenously.

She awoke almost instantly. She found herself in a void – a space of complete emptiness. There was no sound at all.

"What –" She held her ears in pain. After that terrifying experience she hadn't talked for a while, and speaking in this soundless voice was enough to frighten her. She looked at herself and found that she was in perfect condition. Instantly, she knew this was either a dream or a dead world.

"Hello, Phoenix." A slithery whisper ran through her ears. The Vampyrum whirled and looked around, but did not find the being who had spoken. She stood still for a moment and cursed at herself. "How was your time?"

"Dreadful." She replied to who she knew was Zotz.

"Oh, I am aware. You have failed me, Phoenix."

"Zotz." She began. "What happened?"

"As of now, your intentions are wise. You have nothing left, and you have no other choice but to submit to my most trusted followers."

"You trust in those mutants?" Phoenix snapped. She was blindly angry with her own god.

"Of course. Never have I seen a group of Vampyrum so obedient, so diligent, so fervent." Zotz said coolly. "I am sure they will serve me well. Your plans for a genocide of all bats – do you not think that this will be a hard task, Phoenix?"

"Even if it was span years, I will make it happen." She sounded so determined that Zotz could not help but let out a chuckle.

"I admire your certitude."

"If I wish to raise you myself, I must do this. I must kill every bat alive to assure that nothing will plan to stop us." Phoenix paused and sighed. "Now that I'm dead, I am not sure if my plans will work out."

"You are not dead, Phoenix." This statement sent a pang of horror through her chest.

"What? I know you saw me – you saw me suffer. I was eaten alive!"

"You were." Phoenix scratched the back of her ear. She was speechless and utterly confused. "But now you are one of them."

"How would I remain alive with an eaten body?" She then remembered the terrifying creature's body. It did look like it was recently eaten. She then felt a sour pain in her stomach. "No…how?" Zotz just chuckled.

"That is a secret of the Halfwings. Now that you are one of them, you must follow the orders of Grottos. You may be his advisor, but you are assigned to be under his control. Understand?"

"What of my children?"

"They are your offspring. You handle them." This blunt statement angered Phoenix.

"This is not how I wanted it to be. I can't go on living with a body like that. This doesn't seem right."

"If you submit to the Halfwings, you become one yourself. Did you not pay attention to Grottos?" Phoenix didn't bother to speak even though she wanted to argue longer. "I am one with a lack of patience, but I hunger for the Upper World. I yearn to swallow it whole – to blacken the world under my reign. I want to 'kill the sun,' destroy the borders between life and death. If it means anything, do anything. Goth has failed me a final time, and he now dwells with me under the darkest pits of banishment." Phoenix felt a tug of sorrow in her heart. What exactly happened in that pyramid? "Follow the most powerful rituals the Vampyrum has to offer. Kill all bats if you must, but don't let that steer you away from your priorities. It would take years to accomplish, and I need you to finish the rituals as fast as you possibly can. I still have faith in you, Phoenix." Phoenix brightened up somewhat, but immediately sulked again, knowing what conditions she was under. "One more thing, Phoenix. You should probably pursue the Silverwing colony first. They roost nearby in an underground cavern. Halfwings had pursued them recently, but to no avail. Don't ignore them. I feel immense potential." At this, Phoenix felt her mouth water. The Silverwing colony – the root of the burdening scar of the Vampyrum Spectrum.

"I understand, my lord." Phoenix said, making a slight bow.

"Because you have served me well in my Underworld, I trust you will fulfill your intentions. Nocturna is once again alive, and all that are not of Vampyrum blood rest in Her celestial world, but the Vampyrum are still working faithfully under my reign. We still have potential to overcome Her. I have killed her before – I can kill her again." Phoenix instantly blacked out.

She woke up at the second she had blacked out. She breathed the air around her hungrily and noticed that it was cooler and more abundant than the air in the other room. She was truly alive, and she felt the sensation of her lifeblood coursing through her body. She felt a bit numb in various places on her appendages, but she could move. Phoenix swished her arms across the dirt ground softly and noticed something strange. Her body felt "loose" in a way – it felt as if she was lighter than before. Her vision was very blurry, and even sending out echoes didn't do much good; however, as she sat up, her vision started to gradually get better. When she succeeded in sitting up, she suddenly felt a violent lurch in her stomach, and she fell onto her knees. After coughing hoarsely, she started to vomit blood. She sat down against and took deep breaths, wiping the trickle of blood from her chin. That's when she felt something even more strange. Rubbing her lips with her fingertips, Phoenix felt a deep cut ranging from the side of her lip down to her chin. She felt around the rest of her face and felt even more of the deep cuts – some were across her eyelids, some were on her cheeks, and the other side of her lip even had the same kind of wound. Phoenix felt absolutely no pain as she touched these areas. Her heart beating fast, she slowly looked down at her body and screamed with a mixture of anguish and grief. Her entire body was torn up. Her chest area was cut wide open, exposing her organs and muscle flesh. She could see her own heart beating. Phoenix dared not to feel her gaping wound and felt tears burning her cheeks. She quickly wiped them off, but just could not stop crying. She should be dead, but now she had to live as a walking corpse.

Phoenix looked around her to find her two children reclining as well. They were both on their bellies, snoring lightly in their slumber. She then looked at her surroundings. She was inside a large cavern with a large hole gaping in the ceiling to let fresh air seep inside. She breathed heavily, trying hard to not believe what happened to her.

Phoenix kneeled down and crawled to her son. She nudged him softly and whispered in his ear to wake him up. Her throat felt dry and she could barely talk. Shadow shuffled around and slowly lifted himself up with his powerful arms. Once he groggily looked at his mother, all Phoenix could do was gasp. He was the same as her – torn up, bloody, and morbidly hideous. Phoenix shuffled back in horror as she stared into the face of her deformed son.

"I look that bad, huh?" Shadow said. "You don't look any better, mother." Phoenix creased her brow.

"Wh – what are you talking about? You know your condition?"  
"Yes. I have accepted my fate. I should know what I look like."

"But then you must have been – " Phoenix stopped and did not say another word. She curled up in a fetal position. Shadow shuffled to his mother and shook her.

"I knew you wouldn't have been so keen on what we had to go through."

"It was torture. How could you act the way you are after what happened to you?"

"Now that I think about it, it was pretty terrible."

"Is…Selene – " Phoenix was interrupted by Shadow's slow nod. She looked behind her and nudged her daughter. Selene snapped her eyes open and shouted in agony as if waking from a horrible nightmare. She pressed against her mother immediately and started to sob. Shadow sighed during the awkward moment and got on his feet.

"Females." He snorted. Phoenix shot him an angry glare and nuzzled her daughter's cheek. Phoenix felt a pang of sorrow when she felt the gash across Selene's cheek. She separated herself from her daughter and saw the same hideous appearance as her son.

"It's going to be okay." Selene's mother could only speak out, embracing her again.

"I don't want to be alive." Selene said angrily, her voice choked with tears.

"But you have to." Phoenix whispered into her ear. From behind, Shadow folded his wings in embarrassment. Phoenix lifted a wing soundly, catching Shadow's attention. She gestured her wing towards herself, commanding Shadow to approach. He walked over to his mother and knelt beside her. Letting Selene go, Phoenix laid her claws on Shadow's shoulders gently.

"No matter what we will have to go through in this terrible place, we must always be together. We must never separate. If we do this, we will see through Grotto's rule and will raise Cama Zotz once and for all." Phoenix explained. Shadow made a smug grin.

"I know, mother. You don't have to tell me." Shadow replied. Phoenix brought her son closer to her and nuzzled his cheek tenderly. For once in a long while, Shadow felt the warmth of family inside of him and nuzzled back. Phoenix let him go and stood on her legs. The numbness was gone and somehow her entire body felt very energetic.

"Children, let us hunt. When we return, I will gain more information from Grottos about this…incident." Both her children nodded at the same time.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Return Home

Chapter 7: Return Home

Nethanel opened his eyes and immediately, a familiar scent wisped into his nostrils. He took a loud, surprised breath and lifted himself so that he was in a sitting position. His vision was blurry at first, but cleared up in a couple of seconds. He was inside of a sewer tunnel. This tunnel was somewhat narrow, a stream of murky water carrying the raft ahead. The rower rats were seated on the sides of the raft, resting their paws and conversing among each other quietly. The captain was in the front of the raft, keeping his eyes looking forward. His arms were folded and he almost seemed like a statue.

One of the rats noticed Nethanel's awakening and called out to the captain. The burly rat turned his neck swiftly with a look of shock on his face and ran to Nethanel. He started to inspect all the parts of his body. It was still ugly with scratches and gashes. The captain shook his head.

"You need your rest, little warrior." The burly rat said with a quiet, yet rough tone of voice. Nethanel attempted to chuckle, but ended up coughing as he tried to.

"I'm fine." Nethanel stated, trying to sound as assuring as possible.

"No, you aren't." The captain said, laying his hand gently on Nethanel's lower neck. The young rat fell effortlessly onto his moss bed. "You are still weak. It will take months to get your wounds healed perfectly, and that fractured leg of yours is no joke." As soon as the burly rat mentioned Nethanel's broken leg, the young rat felt a sharp pain course through his left leg. He winced aloud and breathed deeply a couple of times.

"Okay then." Nethanel said angrily, wincing in pain again. The captain just smiled and walked back to the front of the raft. Nethanel wondered to himself just how long this trip was going to take. He could not stand lying down like this any longer. With the pain and aches coursing across his body, Nethanel was struck down with even more stress. He just wanted to move around again. Knowing he had no other choice, Nethanel closed his eyelids and thought about his past once again, eventually falling asleep in the process.

He saw his child self standing on the shores of the rat kingdom, staring out at the hundreds of rafts floating away. Each of the rafts was filled with soldiers, every single one of them equipped with an arsenal of sharp weapons. He had never seen anything so spectacular in his life, and his eyes twinkled against the awesome sight before him. So many rats were also at shore, waving frantically and cheering on to their protectors.

Within the myriad of warriors he saw his own father, a general at this time. His figure was so bold and powerful that it caused Nethanel to beam with pride. He knew that his father would be okay. Nethanel just wished so much that he could be just like his father one day. His childish desires often got the best of him, giving him extraordinarily powerful hope in strange times. For nearly all his life, Nethanel had longed to replace his father and make him proud by lifting up the rat kingdom to new heights.

It was soon after that the rafts suddenly drifted away from the shores of the underground kingdom. Nethanel suddenly started running towards the end of the shore, pushing his way across the crowd in front of him. His small size enabled him to finally reach the shores quick enough for his father to hear him. Nethanel stood on tiptoe and bellowed the loudest he can.

"Goodbye, Father!!" Nethanel said. To his relief, his father looked back at him from the distance and waved back at his son. The rat child sighed happily and put his hand on his heart, slowly reciting the national anthem under his breath. "Oh, one day I'd see…on that watery plain…a shipman or two…rowing on their way. Chins up high…facing white and blue skies…calling down on them…revealing their pride. They are warriors…they are symbols of strength…facing great perils with an unafraid face. Authority driven…is how they're known…showing the world just how we row…triumphing…victorious…eternal dignity."

Nethanel opened his eyes all of a sudden, a loud trumpet-like noise emitting from the distance. He blinked his eyes several times before attempting to sit up straight. He noticed that he was no longer in the sewer tunnels, but within a huge structure. The walls seemed more polished than the rough sewer walls and the ceiling above him was the shape of an almost perfect circular arch. He immediately realized that he was inside the rat kingdom. He slowly sat up and strained his eyes, seeing before him the shores of the kingdom. The shore extended backwards until it became a huge slope connecting with the arched ceiling. On this massive slope were small rectangular buildings just big enough for about five rats to fit in. The network of buildings strewn across the slope forced a sigh of relief to come out of Nethanel's mouth. He was back home, and he was very happy to have returned. On the edge of the shore, hundreds and hundreds of rats stood waiting for their young hero to return. Once they saw the raft slowly arriving, cheers started to emanate from the crowd, growing louder with each second. Nethanel smiled upon the welcoming sight of his people. He felt extremely grateful that he had survived to see these familiar faces once again.

Beaming with pride, the young warrior rat picked up his spear and weakly lifted it above his head, feeling his arm trembling violently. Despite that, the crowd's cheering still grew ever louder. The captain of the raft walked over to Nethanel, kneeling beside him with a smile on his face.

"Glad to be back home, young one?" The burly rat asked. Nethanel gave him an apathetic look and scoffed. He looked back at the crowd and carefully inspected the rats. His father was not among them. Nethanel wondered if he was doing any better and sighed sorrowfully. "Something wrong?" The captain asked.

"My father…" The young rat said quietly. The captain shook his head.

"Nethanel, don't worry about your father. He's healing up, only slowly." The burly rat's assuring tone helped Nethanel to relax. "Lay down, prince. We'll take you to a hospitality center right away." Nethanel laid his head down on the mossy bed and stared at the ceiling above. Its shape always took the young rat's breath away. How in the world could rats have carved something so magnificent? Nethanel never thought he had too much pride in his own kingdom, but now that he had seen the amazing structure once again, his spirits were lifted and his urge to fight for his people once again grew within him – but that would have to wait. Nethanel groaned at the thought of this as his mossy bed was suddenly lifted and being carried off by several medic rats. He did not want to think about how bad his wounds were. He would go absolutely insane if he had to lie down for months. He had to move around, he had to see what really happened after Marina and Griffin had left him to fight that hideous monster. Now that he thought about it, he was lucky he survived the stand-off. The monster was far larger than him and was more powerful in almost every aspect. It was Nethanel's agility that saved his life. The monster had left a gaping wound on his chest just before he had thrust his harpoon into its heart. Right after the creature fell dead, he had no idea what to do. He went into the hole on the wall in which Griffin flew into, but he was nowhere to be found. Nethanel was left alone in the pyramid with no direction. He wandered around the pyramid for what seemed like hours until suddenly the entire structure started to crumble and collapse. In great haste, Nethanel ran across the pyramid corridors with lightning speed, praying that he would find an exit. The pyramid had reached its end in a matter of minutes. Nethanel had fortunately found an exit but the falling debris had crushed him before he could make it out. That was all he remembered until he woke up beside the collapsed structure.

Nethanel, awakened from his train of thought, found himself inside one of the rectangular buildings. The medical rats crowded the room, bringing out a variety of medical supplies from boxes seated neatly against the walls. These supplies included a large amount of strange-looking leaves, berries, and liquid in small pots. Nethanel was not familiar with any of these substances.

Just outside the building, Nethanel heard a familiar voice shouting out to the crowds around the building he was in.

"Excuse me! Come on! Make way for the prince's good buddy! You don't know who you're dealing with here! Move it! Make way! Come on now! I'll get him to call the royal guards to dispose of you, I will!" Nethanel sighed. It was his close friend, Lou. The handsome, scrawny rat pushed through the front lines of the crowd and made his way casually into the building as if nothing happened. Once he saw his injured friend on the moss bed, Lou broke out and kneeled next to Nethanel, acting his over-exaggerating self.

"Great clams! Nethanel!? I cannot even recognize you anymore with all these cuts and bruises! By the hair on my hide, you look absolutely awful! Is there anything I can get you, friend!?" Lou panicked. Nethanel rolled his eyes subtly and tilted his head over so his eyes stared right at Lou's.

"I would really appreciate it if you would leave me be." Nethanel replied with an irritated tone. Lou was taken aback.

"What? Oh, come on, friend, there must be something I could do for you! Just say the word!" Nethanel tilted his head away and shut his eyes tightly while the medical doctors attempted to physically force Lou away from the premises. Ever since Nethanel befriended Lou, the scrawny rat became something that Nethanel expected him to become. Lou thought now that he had befriended a prince, he could have shares with his power and have the lower class of rats to look up at him as a figure with as much importance as the prince himself. Of course, he was not all that bad – his constant will to help Nethanel helped the prince to see the rat as good company; however, as of now, he was in absolutely no mood to be tormented by his annoying presence. He wanted to sound nice about it, but his constant worrying and his frustration caused him to be harsh and brief when it came to conversation. There was one rat that Nethanel wanted to see right now, and that was his father, but he did not even know if he was able to even come down and see him. Nethanel relaxed himself as the doctors did their medical work on his injuries.

He closed his eyes and thought. He would have to do a lot of thinking during his time in healing. Nethanel thought about Shade and everybody else. Did they make it through the pyramid's collapse? What exactly happened while they were away from him? For some reason, he did not want to find out, and strangely, he kept thinking that the war was still going on even without the pyramid standing. Nethanel tried hard to avoid these thoughts, since they urged him to get up and find the answers quickly.

After several minutes, the crowd outside died down and the soft, soothing sound of busy life outside rang across Nethanel's ears. He breathed a sigh of relief and looked at one of the doctors working on him.

"How does it look?" the prince asked quietly. The doctor was surprised at Nethanel's sudden question and looked in his eyes for a while before answering him.

"These injuries are indeed terrible, but with the more beneficial properties we have applied to our medicines, we should be able to fix you up in about less than a month." Nethanel's eyes widened.

"Did you use these medicines on my father?"

"Yes, prince."

"Then," Nethanel started, lifting himself up and startling a couple of the doctors, "my father must be fine right about now!"

"Prince Nethanel, listen – your father is doing fine. He will be able to walk again in about a week. You must give him time. You will see him soon enough." The medic stated. Nethanel lied down again on the moss bed and sighed. "You should sleep, Prince. More sleep means that your wounds will be healed quicker. You will be fed with food and drink once you wake up." Nethanel closed his eyes. It was hard for him to get some sleep, now that his mind was filled with unanswered questions. Soon enough he would be on his feet again. Soon enough he would reunite with his father. Soon enough he would find out what became of the heroic bats he accompanied.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Dream Forest

Chapter 8: Dream Forest

Griffin dreamed once again that he was in a beautiful, peaceful forestland. He was perched on a branch, looking out into the bright landscape before him. Ever since the end of the pyramid incident, Griffin began to remember his dreams more often, and actually felt like he was in that dream as if it was reality. He was aware that he was not actually in the real world. It was almost like this was his own personal world away from the cruel world that he knew. He wanted to stay in the forest forever, but he knew that that time would have to wait.

Griffin looked below him and at a glistening stream. Spots of light were rippling across the surface of the water as the river flowed gently. He had been in this very spot of the dream forest for so long and he never got tired of the beauty his mind had created. He never knew that he had such an imagination built inside of him. He wondered whether his father or mother carried this ability.

His eyes trailed around, a smile planted on his face. He knew that at any moment his father would appear.

"Hello." A voice sounded out from behind him. Griffin looked back at his shoulder and smiled when he saw his father's figure perched just beside him. They embraced, their faces brushed up against each other. Shade whispered in Griffin's ear. "I heard your speech." Griffin's eyes widened as he let go of his father.

"You did? How was I?" Griffin asked. Shade smiled down at his son and ran his wing playfully across Griffin's head.

"How do you think you did?"

"I'm not sure. The words just came out."

"Then you did well." Griffin smiled back at his father and rested his head against his chest.

"I don't want to leave you. I want to be with you forever." He said quietly.

"Be patient, Griffin." Shade replied. They perched on the branch in silence for several minutes until Griffin spoke up.

"Dad, how is Mom and Luna?" Shade's face grew grim.

"Dear Nocturna, I haven't checked on them for a couple of days. I never thought I would forget to do that."

"Well, they are busy aren't they?" Griffin said, smirking at his father. Shade looked at him and laughed.

"Yes. Soon you'll have a family of your own." Shade said. There was silence once again.

"I really hope Luna is doing okay." Griffin said. "I just feel so nervous every time I think about her."

"I'm sure she and everybody else is doing okay. Should I check just to make you feel better?" Shade asked. Griffin scratched his chin, thinking for a while. He sighed.

"Yeah, I think that would be good." Just after he finished his sentence, he noticed something on the ground. A section of the air started to become blurrier and formed a figure similar to a short bat. The blurred figure started to twist and transform – thin hairs, wings, and very large ears started to become visible. Griffin's jaw was open wide as he stared at the figure. Shade noticed it too and wrapped his son in his wings with no fear showing on his face at all. In a matter of seconds a bat with pure white fur stood on the ground, looking around as if he was amazed with the scenery. His white fur shone brightly against the sun, making it seem as if he was just a figure made purely of light. The albino bat suddenly started to chuckle.

"I don't know how you do it, sonny, but this is by far the most pleasant dream I've ever laid eyes upon." The bat said, not eyeing the two bats above him.

"Unbelievable. Is that really you, Zephyr?" Shade asked in astonishment. Zephyr looked up at the two roosted bats with a grin across his face.

"Indeed it is." Zephyr said. He flew up to Griffin and Shade and perched right next to them, his eyes trailing across the forestlands. "Griffin, I'm impressed." Griffin scratched his head.

"Why?"

"Why do you think? I've never seen a dream forest this beautiful!" Zephyr stated excitedly. "I do say, Griffin, you must have received your imagination from your father!" Shade laughed.

"Oh no, not me. I wouldn't be able to imagine something as beautiful as my son can imagine." Shade said, nudging Griffin playfully. Griffin blushed and coughed.

"Yeah, I guess so." He said quietly. The three bats perched still.

"But, I haven't come here simply to see what one would be dreaming about." Zephyr said, his voice growing dark. Shade and Griffin perked their ears, listening to the albino. "There is great trouble ahead, and I must warn you before it is too late."

"What is going on, Zephyr?" Shade asked firmly.

"The Silverwing colony is trapped and in serious danger." The albino stated. "They are pinned down by a group of rogue Vampyrum called Halfwings. If we don't act soon, every single Silverwing will be killed by them."

"Luna!!" Griffin shouted. Shade and Zephyr twitched in fright.

"Griffin, calm down!" Shade exclaimed. Griffin's eyes watered as he looked at his father with a desperate face.

"I knew something was wrong, Dad! I just knew it! Luna and all the others are in danger and I never did anything about it!"

"Griffin! You did not know!"

"But I could have! Dad, you could have gone to check on them, but you forgot!"

"Griffin, I – "

"Dad." Griffin whispered out in the most disappointed voice he could muster.

"Griffin, I am sorry."

"It is too late for that now. Zephyr, what can we do??" Griffin asked the albino bat.

"You must bring all the males to Tree Haven. I'll direct you to their hiding place from there."

"Al – alright then. Zephyr…is – "

"Yes, Griffin, Luna is doing fine. She is still pregnant with your child and – "

"What??" Griffin shouted. "She should have birthed the child already!"

"Yes…she should have." The albino said wonderingly. Griffin winced in anger and swung his claw at the branch. A surge of pain trailed across his arm and he pulled it back in surprise.

"What if…the baby…" he said to himself. Shade nuzzled his son.

"Griffin, don't worry about it. Everything will be okay." It was the first time Griffin actually rolled his eyes at his father's words. He felt guilty that he was treating his father this way, but he was in no mood for pretty much anything.

"I have to go. I have to go quickly." Griffin said, not looking at his father. Zephyr looked with pity at Shade, watching his son fly away and into the depths of the dream forest. Shade could not look at Zephyr, his back facing towards him. His body started to vaporize – his fur, his wings, everything started to disappear into the air in a speckled pattern, his body eventually turning into beads of light, drifting away into the foliage. Zephyr looked around him and saw the forest starting to vaporize as well, the entire area turning dark and lifeless, just what Griffin's heart was becoming.

Griffin Silverwing woke up in the warmth of the cavern's inside. He looked around groggily, not remembering exactly what happened before. Eventually it came to him and he shook his head. He was suddenly burning, not because of the heat, but because of the anger and despair that filled his spirit. He flew off his roost, landing on the soft ground below. Cassiel was awake before Griffin and noticed his figure on the ground. He strained his eyes, confused to what Griffin was planning.

Breathing in deeply, Griffin bellowed out. "Everybody wake up! This is absolutely urgent and you must wake up now!" His voice greatly startled Cassiel and around him the Silverwing males were shuffling around, groaning and speaking in confused voices. As they began to wake, Griffin still shouted loudly. "It is extremely important that you wake up now and listen to me! Something really terrible is happening and we must solve it!"

"What is the meaning of this!?" The leader of Stone Hold, Janus, said as he flew from his roost and landed next to the crazed bat below. Janus was a fine figure, perfect for a strong leader. His chest was almost always puffed out, his back straight. No matter how similar he looked to the other bats, his posture would be a dead give-away to his leading position. "What has gotten into you? Can you not see that we have to rest for the – "

"Elder Janus, I understand that, but we cannot do this anymore. I have extremely important news I must sound out to everybody."

"Whatever it is, I assure you that we will take care of it!" Janus replied, referring to the leaders of Stone Hold. Griffin ignored the elder and shouted to the bats perched above.

"Your home, your mates, and your children are in danger! If we don't do anything we will never see them again!" The males were stunned and started conversing with each other nervously. The entire cave was filled with hundreds of voices. Janus was outraged.

"What in the world are you talking about!?" Griffin ignored him once again.

"We cannot rest here doing nothing about it! Zephyr has spoken to me through my dream and told me about how the Silverwing mothers are roosted in a tight space with no other place to go, waiting for their stalking predators to take their lives!" The males grew even more confused and afraid of Griffin's words. "We must go back to Tree Haven!"

"We will do no such thing!" Janus stated. Griffin eyed him darkly.

"Listen to me. If we don't do anything to help the colony, they will be eaten by whatever things are chasing them around. We are going back." Griffin responded, his eyes clearly showing signs of anger. Janus stood speechless, not making a single move. "We are." Griffin turned his head back up to the Silverwing males. "Everybody, follow me back to Tree Haven! We will meet with Zephyr there and we will protect our loved ones!" Griffin flew out of the mouth of the cave, the males lifted off of their roosts and following behind. Cassiel and Chinook flew together, amazed that Griffin was able to wrest the entire colony out of the cavern. Chinook looked behind his shoulder and saw Janus and the other leaders flying in the very back.

The Silverwing males were not prepared for this sudden journey back to Tree Haven. Along the way, some males even went back to Stone Hold, giving up on Griffin and making remarks that he was only bluffing. The elders still stayed behind the line, closely watching Griffin as he led the males deep into the Northern Forests.

The air around the forest was quickly starting to become cool – winter was going to arrive soon. This caused more of the males to go back to Stone Hold, stating that this was a "blind journey" that may have only been merely Griffin's imagination. But many Silverwings still sided with Griffin, caring dearly for their mates and children, hoping that the worst had not come to them.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Reunion and Birth

Chapter 9: Reunion and Birth

It was not long before the remaining males of Stone Hold arrived at Tree Haven. Griffin landed on the ground first, staring up at the powerful tree with great concentration. The other males landed behind him, not making one move until Griffin would do something. Cassiel and Chinook walked up to Griffin, who was still deep in thought.

"Griffin, are you sure that Zephyr had spoken to you?" Cassiel asked.

"I wouldn't be reacting like this if he hadn't." Griffin said curtly, not even turning his head to look at his grandfather. After a minute, Griffin finally turned around. "It is too quiet. Something tells me something bad happened here." He turned around again and flew off onto the edge of the tree's knothole. The first thing Griffin noticed was a thick scent. He peered into the tree and stood as still as a statue, his body cold with shock.

From below the tree, the males stood, looking around nervously and chattering with each other quietly, wondering what Griffin had seen. Griffin just stood at the entrance of the tree, looking inside without moving a single muscle. Most of the Silverwings guessed that Griffin had seen something horrible. Soon enough, the males could not take the silence any longer. In groups, the males lifted off and dove into Tree Haven from both the entrances – the top and the knothole. From the knothole entrance, Griffin stood, his face pale with grief and shock. He took absolutely no heed to the males who were flying into the tree beside him. Eventually, the inside of the tree was filled with the screams and sorrowful weeping of some of the male Silverwings. Blood was shed across the inner walls of the powerful oak walls of Tree Haven. Many female Silverwings and newborns lied dead across the inside of the Silverwings' nursery roost. Some of them were mangled, some were shredded up, and some were even decapitated or dismembered in a grotesque way. The air all over the inside of Tree Haven was filled with an unsettling energy and the scent of fresh blood. A lot of the male Silverwings had unfortunately found their mates and children murdered in a heap, embracing them with tear-matted faces. Griffin's face grew grim. He bowed his head down, trying his hardest to keep his own tears from shedding. This was something he had never wanted to see in his life – the sad, cruel fate of others and their loved ones by their side, bitterly crying their hearts out. Griffin slowly sat down, sniffing loudly and placing his claws gently on his legs. He wanted to leave the Silverwings alone, but for some reason he did not have the will to do it.

Cassiel and Chinook appeared right beside Griffin. He could hear Chinook gasp heavily, putting his wing across his mouth. Cassiel sighed sorrowfully, bowing his head and shaking it. Immediately, Chinook flew all around the inside of Tree Haven, searching to see if his own mate and child had been a victim of death as well. He swiftly returned to Cassiel and Griffin, a look of relief on his face.

"Thank Nocturna, they are not here." He said.

"Yes, I did notice that most of the mothers had gone missing." Cassiel added.

"They probably took refuge." Chinook said.

"But where?"

In the midst of all the sorrowful cries across Tree Haven, a familiar voice sounded from the peak of the tree.

"Everybody, up here!" The albino shouted out. Griffin looked up, surprised that the old bat could shout as loud as he can. "I am sorry that a lot of you had lost those dear to you, but do not think that all hope is lost! Those whose mates are missing, do not worry, for they have indeed taken shelter in a large cavern under the forestlands! Follow me, all of you, and we will take refuge there! Quickly now!" The Silverwings, even the ones who had wept over their mates' and children's carcasses, unfurled their wings and immediately followed behind the albino as he gracefully flew off into the north. Cassiel knelt beside Griffin.

"You need any help?" Cassiel asked him.

"Grief counseling maybe, but other than that I'm fine."

"Come on, Griffin, we have to go." Chinook said. The burly bat was obviously excited that his mate was still alive. The three bats flew with each other behind all the other Silverwing males. Griffin turned his head, taking one last look at Tree Haven, the once peaceful and serene nursery roost of the Silverwing colony.

Soon enough, Zephyr had commanded the males to stop flying in a certain spot in the depths of the Northern forests. They all landed, watching Zephyr walk about the ground, his head up high as if he was searching the foliage above. He bowed his head down and looked back at the males.

"It's safe for now. Come along." The albino said. Just when he turned his back, Janus came toward the old bat.

"Zephyr, the colony has suffered greatly. What has done this to us?" Griffin was amazed. He had no idea so many bats knew the old albino.

"Creatures deadly beyond our imagination. All will be explained when we are inside. Tell the males to follow me. I do not believe I have the ability to command your colony." Zephyr said with a meek smile.

"No, I believe you are able to help us, Zephyr. Do what you please."

"If you insist. Alright everybody, follow me! I will direct you to the underground cavern where the remaining Silverwing mothers and newborns reside!" Zephyr shouted to the mass of Silverwing males.

A couple of minutes later, Zephyr once again ordered the males to halt. He began to crawl on his belly, sweeping around the dead leaves on the dirt ground and sniffing around the floor. Eventually, he reached the base of a tree and started to dig against the bark furiously, sending leaves and bits of debris flying about. A hole formed from where Zephyr dug. The hole was big enough for about two Silverwing males to crawl into. Soon, all the males were lined up in two rows, crawling into the dark tunnel below and nervously singing out echo waves. Griffin, Cassiel, Chinook, and Zephyr stayed behind, closely monitoring the line, making sure that it was orderly. After a while, all the males had gone into the caves. Cassiel sighed and bowed his head.

"It pains me to think about this. There are those who had lost the ones they loved, and yet there are those who will reunite with their mate and child. I don't know whether to be happy or not." Zephyr slowly walked over to Cassiel.

"Maybe you should not be thinking about it at all. Yes, this is truly a tragic turn of events, but there are those who die young and there are those who live to their heart's last beat, and it's just a common thing of life that we all must understand and get used to. Let us go now." Zephyr turned around and paused for a second. He looked at Griffin. "Griffin, I think Luna will need you more than ever from here on." Griffin nodded. He wanted so badly to cry his eyes out – his mate was alive, and he did not have to suffer like so many of the other males had. He rushed into the hole first, crawling through the rough dirt tunnel, his heart beating ferociously. It had not even been two months, but it seemed like forever since he had last seen Luna. He knew that his child's birth would come very soon, and he had to stay by his mate's side no matter what the cost. He would give it his all to protect her from anything, even the "Halfwings" which Zephyr had talked about.

Griffin emerged from the tunnel's mouth and entered the huge cavern before him. The ceiling was crawling with intricately shaped roots. Each of the four walls of the underground dwelling had deep burrows in which a large group of bats could easily huddle into. There were many of these burrows, and Griffin was determined to search every single one to find Luna.

Luna could no longer perch on the ceiling. Lately her stomach began aching so bad that she had to sit on the floor. Above her, the female elders were deep in conversation, always keeping an eye on her. Marina, however, spent most of her time next to Luna, helping her with every ounce of her strength. She noticed a figure flying towards the burrow she was in and she sang out a few echo beams to identify who it was. Luna breathed a sigh of relief. It was Mia. Her child was clutching tightly against her breast as the Silverwing nurse beat her wings hard to get to Luna. She landed gracefully on the burrow's floor, breathing heavily.

"Luna." She said hoarsely. Luna nodded to her with a big grin.

"I'm so glad you made it out okay." She said happily. Mia smiled back to her.

"Just barely made it. I'm glad you are doing fine as well." Mia stated.

"Well, I could be doing better. My stomach is really hurting and…I can't help but think about Griffin." Luna said quietly. "What if those creatures are out there, waiting for them?" Mia laughed. Luna made a confused face. "What did I say?" Mia lifted her child up and breathed deeply.

"Oh, well, about that." Mia trailed off and just jerked her head behind her, grinning from ear to ear. Luna and Marina leaned to the side and both of them felt their hearts rise. The Silverwing males had just arrived at the far end of the caves. A lot of the males were swiftly flying around the caves, calling out names frantically and gathering with their mates jovially. Luna smiled at the sight and knew that Griffin would be coming to her at any time. Her chest swelled at the thought of her mate finally reuniting with her again. She could even almost feel a kick from inside of her, causing her to be even more excited.

Surely enough she eyed a silhouette in the distance, flying around the burrows close to her own, calling out her name. Luna felt like she could cry. She felt so fortunate to be one of the females still alive after the horrific invasion. Luna closed her eyes, smiling the biggest she could. With Griffin here with her, she felt like she could do anything. Luna felt a soft breeze of wind brush up against her face. She slowly opened her eyes, seeing her mate standing over her with a look of relief on his face. Mia and Marina shuffled away to make room for the two bats. Griffin knelt down beside Luna slowly and they started to nuzzle each other's faces lovingly. They let go of each other and looked at the other in the eyes, saying nothing. Luna's eyes began to water and she looked down at her belly. Griffin looked down as well. Without a word he sat next to Luna and shuffled next to her so that they pressed against each other. Luna closed her eyes and sighed as Griffin cuddled his cheek against the back of Luna's neck.

"Griff." Luna whispered out. Griffin grunted and looked at her wonderingly. "I'm so glad you are here." Griffin responded with a hearty smile and leaned over to nuzzle Luna again when suddenly, Luna yelped, causing Griffin to leap back in fright.

"Luna??" Griffin said, his head spinning in shock. Luna was breathing heavily. Her expression gave the impression that she was suffering pain. Griffin crawled quickly over to Luna. He wrapped a wing across Luna's back and whispered to her. "What is wrong Luna? Tell me." Luna shouted.

"You know what is wrong, Griffin!" Griffin's face grew pale and he started to bellow.

"Who here is a nursing bat of some sort!? Speak up!" Mia quickly went over to Luna and knelt beside her. Luna started to gasp in pain and she threw her head up screaming. She reached her claw outwards and forcefully grabbed Griffin's arm.

"Griffin, stay with me, please!" Luna shouted in between gasps. Griffin embraced Luna, trying his hardest to comfort her.

"I'm here, Luna. I'm always here with you now." Griffin said to her.

"Good!!" Luna screamed, tightening her grip on Griffin's arm. He could hardly believe it – he would be one of the only fathers to see the birth of his child before his eyes. From all around the cave, the Silverwings watched intently, some of them crowding around Griffin and Luna, watching the scene with fascination.

Minutes later, Silverwings all around were chattering excitedly. Within a circle of a tight crowd sat Griffin and Luna who were cuddling against each other, a newly born child clutching against Luna's breast. A lot of the Silverwings were cooing as they watched the scene. Many of them were smiling in satisfaction and were happy for Luna's successful birthing. Mia wiped off sweat from her forehead and stood up, shooing away the crowd.

"Hey, now! Don't you understand how much these two need their privacy?! Go on! Get away from here! Yes, that means you too! Scurry along now!" Griffin and Luna could never be any happier with their newborn child. Luna was finally free of all her troubles and all the dark thoughts cooped up in her mind. She was finally at peace, and now that Griffin was with her, she felt she could be content even in the situation that the Silverwings were caught in. Marina, Zephyr, and the female Silverwing elders landed next to the two mates.

"What will you name him?" Ariel asked with a bright smile on her face. Luna looked at Griffin.

"Lucius. Lucius will be his name." She said as Griffin gave her a kiss.

"Then his name will be Lucius." He replied.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: To Be a Halfwing

Chapter 10: To Be a Halfwing

"Gather around, gather around, Halfwings young and old! Today we now welcome three new members to our alliance. Let us give them a warm welcome!" Grottos was upon his small tower made of large stones, his arms spread out. He faced hundreds of Halfwings who surely gathered before him at the bottom of the tower, hissing and grunting loudly in anticipation. Grottos looked behind him at a large hole on the wall. He was becoming irritated – it never took this long for the welcoming ceremony to begin. Eventually, however, screams were heard echoing down the hole.

"What are you doing!? Do you even know who I am?? I command you to quit dragging me around! Let go of my children!!" Phoenix's voice sounded out of the hole. A Halfwing appeared out of the darkness, one of his bloody claws wrapped tightly around Phoenix's arm. He dragged her out of the hole with great ease and then wrapped his arms around her torn up waist, her back pressing against his chest. The Halfwing then walked up to Grottos's side and mightily lifted Phoenix up so the Halfwings could get a clear vision of her. Phoenix gasped and held her breath, the sudden view of the Halfwings below shocking her. She tried to close her eyes, but both of her eyelids were torn clean off. Realizing this, she turned her head to the right as far as she could and let her eyeballs sink upwards. Just when she did so, however, she noticed both her children being dragged out as well by two other Halfwings. In a rage, Phoenix struggled madly in her Halfwing's grasp, foaming at her mouth and screaming nonsensically. The Halfwing's below laughed crazily and taunted Phoenix as she wriggled and twitched violently, trying to get to her children who were unconscious under the Halfwings' grasp. "Let me go!!" Phoenix shouted hoarsely, taking ragged breaths with each word. She lifted her head up and then sunk her teeth into the Halfwing's arm, ripping through the torn flesh. Phoenix expected the creature to yelp and release her, but the Halfwing did no such thing and stared at her with his huge, bloodshot eyes. He shifted his jaw, a sick popping noise sounding out, and blood suddenly poured out of his left eye. Phoenix released her teeth from his arm and looked away from his hideous face.

"Your always-opened eyes signify that we never sleep – we always plan, we always stay aware, and we always hunt." Grottos said darkly from behind her, making a smug smile. "Don't be alarmed by such odd behavior, Phoenix. Soon you'll be one of them." Grottos appeared from beside Phoenix. He looked out onto the Halfwing crowd and extended his wing toward them.

"No!! I won't! I will always be who I am." Phoenix said angrily. She envied how Grottos looked like a normal Vampyrum, but had an entire horde of disgusting, fierce mutants under his wing. The Vampyrum just looked at her and laughed. He extended his claw, pointing to the Halfwings.

"That's what they said." Phoenix slowly looked at the Halfwings, fear pounding in her heart. She could not believe she was actually going to turn into one of these things. Each and every one of the Halfwings looked absolutely crazed.

"Let my children go." Phoenix said. Grottos made a sharp snapping noise with his wing walking away and out of Phoenix's view. She ruefully looked to her left and at the Halfwing holding her. "If you were the one who ate me, I swear upon Zotz that I will kill you." The Halfwing immediately shoved his face onto hers and let out an ear-piercing shriek. His rotten breath blew across Phoenix's face, causing her choke and retch. The Halfwing then whipped his head upward and he sunk his teeth into Phoenix's ear, ripping a large chunk of it clean off. Phoenix screamed as loud as she could, the pain coursing through her body like lightning. Tears started to stream out of her eyes as the Halfwing swallowed the chunk of her ear, lifting his head and sounding out a terrible screech. Below, the Halfwings screeched back in amusement. As she tried hard to stop crying, she saw her two children brought forth just to her left. The Halfwings lifted them up just as they did Phoenix and the Halfwings rustled their wings and pounded on the ground excitedly.

"We welcome you three to our care." Grottos said.

"Your care!? Your little pet bit my ear off!!" Phoenix shouted in rage. Grottos laughed and rustled his wings. The Halfwings did the same.

"The conversion isn't complete, but you are one of us." All of a sudden, the Halfwing holding Phoenix screeched and tore off Phoenix's other ear with his teeth, flinging his head to the side and wresting the piece of flesh out of sight. Phoenix screamed in agony once again, the tears burning her cheeks.

"Ha ha!! Ho ho!!" Grottos laughed heartily along with the Halfwings, jumping about and pointing excitedly at Phoenix. "See that?! He likes you! That's a good start!" Phoenix angrily hissed at Grottos, her eyes heavily bloodshot. Grottos suddenly went up to her and squeezed her torn cheeks with a single claw. "You'll be glad you are among the interests of the Halfwings, lady." He pulled on a deep gash on her cheek so that they were face-to-face. "The Halfwings love to be entertained." Grottos then gently patted Phoenix's other cheek and let her go, disappearing from behind her.

"Boss?" The Halfwing holding Phoenix suddenly said, his voice ragged and thunderous.

"Take them back to their chambers." Grottos responded. The Halfwing let out a horrifying screech and let Phoenix out of his grasp. She hit the ground hard on her stomach and coughed hoarsely, turning her head and looking at her children who were both unconscious. She felt the Halfwing's claw wrap around her arm and she immediately tore into his arm with her teeth, ripping away the flesh with great desperation. The Halfwing, as she expected, made no response of pain and started dragging her carelessly across the stony ground. The Halfwings carrying her children also did the same. Phoenix gritted her teeth in rage – she hated seeing her children being treated the way she was being treated. Suddenly she tore away from the Halfwing's grasp and tackled him to the ground. She was on top of him now. Phoenix thrust her head at the Halfwing's neck and started to tear into the bloody scruff with her teeth. She was filled with sick joy as the Halfwing actually started to shriek in pain. Phoenix was taken aback when the Halfwing gave a mighty push that sent her careening into the wall. The blow to her back was hard and blood started to pour out of Phoenix's mouth. She did not notice it, however, and started to run madly at the Halfwing. Once she pounced within several wingbeats from him, the Halfwing moved to the side, causing Phoenix to land heavily on her face. She got up again, strangely not feeling as much pain as she should be feeling. The Halfwing had enough – he leaped on Phoenix, his weight forcing her on the ground. Before Phoenix could cry out in anguish, the Halfwing started to beat her skull mercilessly with his claws, knocking her out before he stopped swinging his arms. The Halfwing breathed in deeply, satisfied at the bloody mess he left sprawled on the floor. Lifting her up onto his shoulder, the Halfwing disappeared into the hole which led to the tunnel chambers. The Halfwings carrying Phoenix's children followed behind, sneering and laughing wickedly.

Phoenix woke up with an unpleasant pounding inside of her head. She shouted both in pain and in rage. She remembered the fight as if it happened just a second ago, but she had no idea how long she had been out. She was back in her own chamber, reclining on her back. She stretched her limbs, hearing several satisfying pops. All of a sudden, the familiar scent of fresh blood wisped across her nostrils. She sat up and saw the dried blood stains on the ground left from when the Halfwing feasted on her. Phoenix then ran her thumb claw across her chin and felt the warmth of blood oozing down her mouth. She moaned in disgust. Aside from her death, this was probably the worst thing that has ever happened to her in her entire life. She hated the Halfwings and this sick cavern they dwelled in. The air was so thick she could hardly breathe right, although she did not know if that was a problem with the air itself or her own lungs.

Phoenix spat on the ground, wiping the blood off her mouth. She heard a scuttling from afar and hissed in response.

"I see you no longer enjoy my presence." Grottos stated coolly. He appeared from the darkness and entered her chamber.

"You stay away from me." Phoenix said nonchalantly, grooming herself to make it seem like she did not have a problem.

"I apologize for your injuries." Grottos said. "I can assure you it's all in good fun." Phoenix eyed Grottos angrily.

"You're sick!!" Phoenix shouted. "You – you think - !" Grottos nodded.

"Yes, I am aware, but you can't blame the Halfwings for wanting to be playful at times. Don't think this is the end of it all, Phoenix. Look at your claws." She couldn't believe she had not noticed it before, but her claws were long, decomposed, and bony. Even her wings started to wither away.

"How am I supposed to fly like this??" She whispered out.

"We don't fly. Our mutated bodies enable us to do many things we could not. We are more nimble – we can climb faster than we ever could before – we can jump farther than any flying squirrel! Don't think that you will be left with nothing in this new body of yours, Phoenix. We are hunters of a new generation." Phoenix did not say anything and started to groom herself again. "So, this plan of yours – do you really think it will work?"

"It's a precaution. Don't think that we can raise Zotz without interference. We cannot take any chances."

"Ah, yes. I know what you are talking about: Nocturna's beloved Chosen Ones, yes?" Grottos asked.

"Of course. I know they are still around, and they are our first targets." Grottos just laughed in response. "Don't underestimate them either."

"You don't have to worry about that. We'll do whatever we can to take the advantage. We have spells that you cannot even imagine."

"Spells?" Phoenix said, looking at Grottos once again. He just chuckled.

"If we have to tear this whole forest apart, so be it. We will search for the Silverwings hiding around the area for as long as we have to. They sleep, but we don't." Grottos turned and started crawling out again. "You might want to eat up as well, lady. You don't want to commit genocide with an empty stomach, do you?" With that, Grottos left the chamber, his deranged laughs echoing down the tunnels. Phoenix shivered and looked away.

"Spells." She whispered to herself as if having learned a new word.


End file.
